


Specialis Res

by SilverMirror



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Slash, loss of a child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2017-11-23 11:20:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 69
Words: 110,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/621557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMirror/pseuds/SilverMirror
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From their first mission together as Asset and Handler, to their first time together as lovers, to the secret that could have torn them apart and to the miracle that brought them closer than ever. This story follows Clint and Phil as they navigate life as agents, lovers and finally as parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also posted on ff.net and it's actually a prequel to a one shot I wrote but I'm not sure if I'll post it here or not maybe once this story is complete I will. This story currently has 43 chapters completed so I'm going to try and post all of those up at once... if I can. Also this story starts a few years before the Avenger movie but will lead up to it.

Phil locked the glove box and straightened his tie before getting out of his car and heading over to the secured elevator. The parking lot was almost vacant except for a few other cars, but most people weren’t usually here at five in the morning. As he rode the elevator up to the floor where the director’s office was located he prepared himself for what he knew was going to be a very long day. The Director would have only order him in during his away time if something had gone majorly wrong. When the elevator doors opened he nodded to the agent standing there. “Agent Hill.”

“Agent Coulson.” Maria Hill replied as they walked towards Fury’s office.

“How bad is it?”

“We have four dead agents, one critical, three with non-life threating injuries and one man has already been cleared by medical. Unfortunately on top of it the target managed to avoid capture and is now in the wind.”

Phil frowned at this piece of information. “This was the mission in Germany correct?”

“Affirmative, the agent in charge was Agent Mackie.” Hill informed him. “He’s one of the ones that didn’t make it.”

“A huge loss for this division; Agent Mackie was my handler when I first started here.”

“Mine as well, until he was assigned to handle the agent’s nobody else wanted to deal with.” Hill replied as they stopped in front of the Director’s door. She knocked before pushing the door open. “Agent Coulson has arrived sir.”

“Send him in Agent Hill.”

Phil nodded once more to Hill before slipping into the Director’s office. “Director Fury.”

“Agent Coulson, please have a seat.” Fury nodded. “Agent Hill, please go down to medical and get me an updated report on our people.”

“Yes sir.” Agent Hill replied, shutting the door behind her.

“Thank you for coming in on such late notice Agent Coulson.” Nick Fury said as he folded his hands on the desk in front of him.  

“It’s no problem Director.” Phil replied.

“I’m not sure how much…” Fury paused as his office door swung open. “Agent Coulson, I’m not sure if you’ve met Agent Barton yet.”

Phil glanced up at the man who sat down in the chair to his left. “No I haven’t, it’s a pleasure Agent Barton.”

“Likewise I’m sure.” Clint mumbled his eyes locked firmly on the Director’s desk.

“Now, as I was saying, I’m not sure how much of the situation Agent Hill was able to debrief you on.”

“Just that the mission in Germany was a failure which resulted in the target escaping as well as the death of four agents including Agent Mackie. But that’s all I’ve been made aware of.”

Fury nodded before passing a file to Phil. “Felix Hotlzmann is a German national and over the last few years has become one of the biggest arms dealers in that part of Central Europe and is in the process of expanding. His guns have been rumored to be linked to the death of several hundred people and that number has been growing at an alarming rate.”

“I remember the original briefing six months ago, wasn’t an asset sent in to assess the situation?” Phil asked as he briefly glanced through the file before closing it.

“Agent Colins was sent in to run recon with Agent Mackie to act as handler and to collect and forward to us all information received by Colins. Four months into the mission Colins was late for a meet up, Mackie check his undercover apartment and found him. Evidence showed that a bullet from one of Holtzmann’s guns is what killed him.” Fury sighed. “When Mackie returned state side it was decided that a team be sent to Germany to capture Holtzmann and if we could shut down his entire operation.”

“How long…” Phil paused not sure how to form the words to ask the question.

“Six days, we weren’t there for more than six days before the mission and team were compromised.”

Phil shifted and looked at the younger agent, any information he needed to know could only come from one person. “Do you know what caused the mission and the team to be comprised?”

Clint turned and finally met the blue eyes of the older agent and for a moment studied him before glancing over at Fury and back to Phil. “The death of Colins drove Mackie to seek out vengeance and he believed the best way to go about it was by bringing Holtzmann in to face justice. That same drive caused him to rush the mission and sloppy mistakes were made. The night in question was supposed to be the final recon of the mission before we moved in. Because of that I, along with Agents Romanoff, Stern and Jacobs were order to remain behind.” Clint paused briefly, his eyes never leaving Phil’s. “We received the distress call from the team not long after they left the safe house. We were ten minutes out and by the time we arrived to provided back up, three of our men had already gone down in what appeared to be an ambush.”

“But you’re not certain.”

“No sir, the only men who were there when the attack first happened are either dead or in emergency surgery. Stern and Jacobs were both shot while pulling Agent Flynn out of harm’s way and he is the only one who can tell us what happened.”

“So we have no way of knowing which safe house Holtzmann would have gone to then.”

“Holtzmann has over a dozen different safe houses and not all of them are located in Germany. We wouldn’t be able to put enough teams together fast enough to hit them all.” Fury answered.

Clint cleared his throat. “Actually Director, we do know which safe house he’s located in.”

“Do we now, why is this the first time I’m hearing this little bit of information?” Fury asked.

“I held onto this information to insure my spot on the new mission to collect Holtzmann.”

“This isn’t how this agency is run Agent Barton.” Fury told him sternly.

“It would be greatly beneficial to have someone on this mission who knows Holtzmann’s patterns. Sir.” Phil added on when Fury’s eye met his.

“I suppose your right but after this mission you and I are going to have a long talk about withholding information Agent Barton. Now, tell me how you know which safe house he’s located in.”

“Before he died, Agent Mackie told me about a safe house that for some reason or another was never mentioned in the original recon mission. Now we know that Holtzmann has a large order of weapons he was planning on moving out of Germany and into the capital of the Czech Republic at the end of the week, with the amount of money that shipment is to bring in there is no way he won’t see it through. He has a secret safe house located in Saxony that is very close to the boarder of these two countries. Mackie also believed that after the shipment had been delivered and payment received, Holtzmann was heading to Budapest.”

“In that case we will put a team together and have them in Germany in the next twenty-four hours.”

“Sending in a strike team again is a bad idea; it will just result in more bloodshed. Better to just send in two guys, one to get Holtzmann out and the other to act as back up and if necessary, to lay down cover fire.”

“Barton is right sir, it would be faster and easier to get two men into Germany and then out again with Holtzmann in custody then it would be to try and get a team together.” Phil spoke up. “Holtzmann won’t be expecting anything so soon after the attack yesterday.”

Fury started to respond to that when the phone on his desk rang. “Fury. I see, and has Agent Romanoff woken up yet? Of course they had to sedate her, that doesn’t surprise me. When will the other two be released? Okay, thank you for the update Agent Hill.” Hanging up the phone, Fury leaned back in his chair and studied the two men across from him. “Agent Flynn just passed away and both Stern and Jacobs will be release in the next twenty four hours. Romanoff tried to leave medical before they could completely fix her leg so she has been sedated and will be off active duty for at least a month.”

“Good luck with that.” Clint snorted.

“This man is now responsible for the death of six of my people. I will have the jet prepped and ready to go within the next thirty minutes. Barton, you and your new handler will go and retrieve Hotlzmann and bring him back here in the next seventy two hours, any questions?”

“Who is my new handler?”

“Look to your right. Now both of you get out of my office and handle what business you need to before you leave.”

Phil was about to open his mouth to protest but decided to keep silent as Fury pinned him down with a deadly glare. “Yes sir. I’ll see you at the hanger in twenty Barton.” With that he left Fury’s office and head down to his. He had a phone call to make before he left.


	2. Chapter 2

_56 hours later_

“Barton do you have eyes on Holtzmann yet?” Phil glanced up the street to where the safe house was located; he waited a minute before grabbing the radio again. “Barton, do you read me? Have you located Holtzmann yet?”

“Don’t get your panties in a twist Coulson.”

Phil rubbed his eyes as he brought the radio up. “Just give me an updated report Barton, please.”

“Hold on a sec, I think I’ve got a lock on him.” It was several minutes but Clint’s voice filled the car again. “I’ve spotted Holtzmann; he’s located on the top floor with his second.”

“Do you have a read on how many people we have to get around?”

“I count about thirteen men, all heavily armed of course.”

“Do you have a plan to get in and get Holtzmann out without getting killed by one of these thirteen armed men?”

“I do but you’re not going to like it. Be ready to move out in ten, Barton out.”

Phil tried reaching Clint again but the radio stayed silent. “Damn.” Phil hit the steering wheel in frustration. Barton was getting a lecture on the flight back about proper communications between asset and handler. Ten minutes later gunfire broke out in the quiet neighbourhood. Phil swore as he started the car and glanced up towards the direction Barton had disappeared to almost two hours prior. But true to his word, Barton slid down the side of a building at the ten minute mark and ran to the car, and he was alone.

“Drive.” Clint ordered as soon as he got in the car.

Phil shifted and sped off down the narrow alley way just as bullets begin pelting the back of the car. “Barton, what the hell happened? Where is Holtzmann?”

Clint leaned out of the car window and fired several shots at the people chasing them. “Questions later just keep driving.” Clint said, as he re-loaded his gun and leaned back out the window.

“Fuck this.” Phil growled out as he hit a main road and spun the car around and punched it back down the alley towards the cars chasing them.

“Shit Coulson are you trying to get us killed.” Clint said, as he pulled himself back into the car to try and avoid the bullets now slamming into the front of the vehicle.

“I’m in Saxony, Germany being shot at when I’m supposed to be on vacation. Something I haven’t taken in almost two years. What are you waiting for, shoot back at them.” Phil ordered.

“Yes sir.” Barton replied before firing back. “So your plans of kicking back in an empty apartment doing nothing got delayed a few days, it will still be there when you get back. Plus, this is so much more exciting.”

Phil thought of the plane ticket for Mexico that was dated two days prior. “Yeah, suppose your right.”

Clint grinned at him just as the two vehicles in front of theirs exploded. “All done here sir, we can go home now.”

Phil slammed the car into reverse as his stomach fluttered as he realized that Clint was right about one thing, this was exciting and he was unsure if it was because of the situation or the man sitting next to him.

“You okay Coulson?”

Phil realized he was frowning and quickly smoothed out his features before glancing over at the other agent. “I’m fine and now that we are out of danger do you want to tell me what happened to Holtzmann.”

“I completed the original mission.” Clint replied as he looked out the window.

“Agent Mackie had no intentions of bring Holtzmann back alive did he? It wasn’t a recon mission but a hit; you leave your rookies behind so they can’t report back to the director what really happened. Of course, leaving your two best assets behind helps the story of a recon mission being compromised resulting in the death of Holtzmann and it also helps make sure they don’t face suspension.”

Clint stared at him in shock. “When did you figure all of that out?”

“When you told us that Mackie was driven to seek out vengeance, the way you said it indicated a man who was out for blood, plus I knew of the relationship between Collins and Mackie.  Also your hands clenched whenever bringing Holtzmann back alive was brought up but I still wasn’t sure. It wasn’t until you said that it should be a two man team I knew for sure you had no intentions of bring Holtzmann in alive.”

“That’s pretty impressive Coulson. What are you going to be telling Director Fury?” Clint asked as he turned his glance back out the window.

“I’ll be telling Director Fury that Holtzmann had more man power then we were expecting and we were overran and had to shoot our way out which resulted in the death of Holtzmann and many of his associates. Killing Holtzmann was the right thing to do, he was responsible for the death of countless of innocent people including several we called friends.”

“Your pretty awesome, you know that Coulson. The rookies are totally wrong on what they say about you.” Clint said as he once again grinned at the agent next to him. “I believe I’m going to enjoy working with you Agent Coulson.”

Phil found himself grinning back even as the flutters in his stomach returned. Well that answered his earlier question. “I’d say right back at you Barton but I have a feeling you’ll end up driving me crazy.” 


	3. Chapter 3

From the look on Fury’s face, Phil was pretty sure the fact that he had bullshit his way through the mission debrief was not lost on the Director, but the man just thanked him and turned his eye onto his partner.

“Barton, medical informed me that you never reported to them after your first mission to Germany so head there now and don’t even think about helping Romanoff escape from medical.”

“Yes sir.” Barton got up and turned to leave before stopping and turning to Phil. “I’m looking forward to our next mission together Coulson.”

“So am I Barton, now get going to medical.” Phil smiled as he watched the man leave the office.

“You two managed to bond during your time in Germany?” Fury asked when Coulson turned back to face him.

“Barton is a good agent and we communicate well which always makes a mission go smoother.” Phil shrugged. “Plus, when you’re running for your life with someone you’re always bound to get close.”

Fury nodded. “I’m going to be honest with you Coulson; I was going to be assigning Barton to you as soon as you got back from your holidays.”

“Why is that sir?”

“Barton has a record of being a very difficult agent to work with as he doesn’t follow orders every time and will either talk your ear off on the con or ignore you completely until he chooses otherwise. You might not be aware of this but Agent Mackie was his seventh handler, this year alone. Mackie came into my office last week and requested that Barton be transferred to another handler. Mackie told me that Barton is one hell of an agent but he needs more of the one on one which with four other assets under his command he couldn’t provide.”

“Sir, I have three agents that I act as handler for already.”

“I’m aware of that Coulson, and while you were in Germany those agents have been re-assigned to Agent Sitwell. I trust this won’t be a problem.”

“No sir.”

“Well you’re free to leave the office until your vacation time is over.” Fury said as he dismissed him.

Phil stood up and headed to the door but stopped when Fury said his name.

“I just wanted to remind you that if either you or Barton ever disobeys an order like that again you’ll be suspended without pay for several weeks. Is that understood?”

“It is sir.”

“Good, please pass that message onto Barton for me.”

“I will sir.” Phil said as he opened the door and made his way down the hall to the elevator. Getting in he hesitated between pushing the button for the parking garage, medical or for the floor his office was located on but after a moment he made his decision and pushed one of the buttons. 


	4. Chapter 4

Clint leaned against the side of the door and smirked at the person occupying the bed in the room. "I see your still here, although since I received orders not to assist you from escaping medical it isn’t from the lack of trying.”  
   
"My new handler caught me before I could even get off this floor, both times." Natasha frowned.   
   
"What's the name of the Agent who caught the Black Widow? I want to shake their hand."  
   
"Agent Hill, she's smarter than most of the paper pushers that work here."  
   
Clint lifted an eyebrow at the sound of respect coming through his friend's voice but knew better than to comment.   
   
"So I heard that you and your new handler went to Germany to take care of Holtzmann. I also heard that only you two returned, I take it this means you accomplished the original mission?"  
   
"Yeah, I handled it."  
   
Natasha frowned. "Have you been suspended?"  
   
"Coulson fed the Director a bullshit recount on what happened, so no I'm not suspended." Clint told her as he sat down on the bed beside her.  
   
"Well that's good then. So if you’re not suspended why are you so moody?"  
   
Clint frowned. "I'm not moody."  
   
"Right, so tell me about your new handler. Coulson is the one all the rookies talk about, correct?"  
   
"Yeah, but don't believe a word you've heard. He knew even before we boarded the jet that I had no attentions of bring Holtzmann back alive and he never let on to the fact he knew until after we had finished off the bad guys chasing us." Clint put his arm around Natasha when she leaned into his side. "Then on the flight back he tells me he will handle the talking and I was just to nod and agree with whatever he said."  
   
"It sounds like he’s made a good impression on you already."  
   
"He's a good agent and from what I can tell we will work well together. You’re the only other person I can say that about."  
   
"True, but with us it's not complicated." Natasha told him. "You have no desire to sleep with me."  
   
Clint sputtered as he tried to work out a response. "I don't want to sleep with Coulson; I've only known the guy for three days."  
   
"Please, you don't even need three hours. Plus I've seen Coulson and he's completely your type."  
   
"I don't have a type." Clint frowned. "Plus, I'm not attracted to my handler. Besides those relationships never last, look what happened to Mackie and Collins."   
   
"Well, whatever helps you sleep at night. But those two had eight amazing years together." Natasha said as she tried fighting back a yawn.  
   
"You should get some sleep, it will help you heal faster and it will be easier to get you out of here tomorrow if you’re not totally drugged up."  
   
"You'll stay?"  
   
"Nowhere else I'd rather be, now close your eyes." Clint waited for her breathing to even out before he climbed out of the bed and settled into the chair next to it. He was just thinking of closing his eyes when he heard someone approaching the door. Glancing over his shoulder he was surprised to see Coulson standing there. With a quick look back at Natasha he got up and walked out into the hallway.

“How’s she doing?”

“Knowing Nat she’s board out of her mind and can’t wait to get out of here. They told me the bullet went right through her thigh but Nat’s a fast healer and she’ll be on her feet in no time.” Clint answered. “So what did the Director say?”

“Next time we pull a stunt like that it’s a suspension and no pay for several weeks. But lucky for us we got away with it but I think it’s due more to the circumstances than anything else.”

“I can’t guarantee that I won’t pull a stunt like that again.” Clint warned.

“I figured as much, just give me a heads up the next time you do and I can start preparing the fake mission report to cover our respected asses.”

“You’re alright Coulson.” Clint chuckled.

“Not so bad yourself Barton. Have you eaten yet?”

“No, but I’ll get something tomorrow when Nat wakes up.” Clint responded as he glanced back at his friend.

“Well, why don’t I get you something from the cafeteria before I head home for the evening.”

“You’re coming in tomorrow? I would have thought you’d be finishing your vacation.”

“I was going to but I’d rather work then kick around in an empty apartment doing nothing. So any preference on what you want?”

“No surprise me.” Clint said as he turned to head back into Natasha’s room. “Coulson, why don’t you join me for dinner and we can actually get to know each other.”

Phil smiled at Clint. “I would like that Barton, and since I’m off the clock for the night its Phil.”

“Phil.” Clint smiled back. “Please call me Clint then.”


	5. Chapter 5

_Some remote location in Pakistan ten months later_

“So of course the rookies tried to pin the blame on me, as usual. But evidence indicated that I was somewhere else at the time the crime had been committed so Fury had no choice but to let me go. I mean, who would be so immature to set off balloons filled with paint in the rookies lounge?”

“Not you, obviously.” Phil replied as he turned to grab the report from the agent behind him. “Heads up Barton, our target has been spotted a few miles out. He’s located in the middle Humvee.”

“Got it, I can see the caravan approaching.” Clint continued several minutes later. “I’ve got a lock on the target.”

“Can you confirm that you have the shot?”

“I have the shot, permission to take down the target sir.”

“That’s affirmative Barton.”

“Target’s down.”

“Good job Barton, get back to base and let’s pack it up.”

“Sounds… shit. My position has been compromised they have me pinned down.”

“Back up team, I need you to cover Barton.” Phil sent the order out to the four man team who was already in position in case this happened. “When you can, get the hell out of there Barton.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice sir, Barton out.”

Phil order his junior agent to start packing things up and on the fifteen minute mark radioed the men on the ground. “Back up team, how are we doing?”

“The team is all clear sir but better get the first aid kit handy.” Agent Donner reported. “We have a bullet wound to the shoulder.”

“Who’s been shot?” Phil asked.

“Nobody has been shot, what we have is a graze and it doesn’t even require a band aid.” Clint spoke up before Donner could.

“I’ll be the judge of that Barton. Get back to base, were getting the hell out of here.”

Forty-five minutes later they were up in the air and heading back to headquarters. “Just to clarify, usually the bullet isn’t lodged into your arm when it’s a graze.”

“I know the difference Coulson; I just didn’t want you to worry.” Clint hissed as the bullet came free.

“We’ve only know each other for ten months and this is the third bullet I’ve removed from you.” Phil pointed out as he started stitching the wound.

“You could always leave it for the medical team to pull out.”

“It’s easier to do it myself then to drag you down to medical.” Phil finished of the stich and quickly inspected the work. “Any other injuries I should be aware of before I put the medical kit away?”

Clint grinned and held up his left hand. “I’ve got a splinter in my finger if you want to get that.”

Phil rolled his eyes but grabbed the tweezers and with his other hand grabbed Clint’s hand. “Oh, stop being a baby.” He muttered as he pulled the sliver free. “There you go its out.”

“Damn Coulson that hurt.” Clint pouted.

Phil stopped Clint from tugging his hand free and brought his lips down to the finger he pulled the sliver from. “There, now do you want a Band-Aid as well or do you think you’ll live?”

“Do you have any Captain America Band-Aids?” Clint asked teasingly, having found out about his handler’s love for the great American superhero during their last mission together.

Phil blushed slightly at this but turned quickly before Clint could see this. “I think you’ll live without the Band-Aid. Now make sure you take it easy on that shoulder and if you have to practice on the range make sure you shoot with your other arm.”

“Will do sir and thanks again for taking care of this for me, I really hate going to medical.”

“Any time Barton, now get some rest we will be debriefing as soon as we land.” Phil told him as he picked up several files.

“Shouldn’t you be getting some rest as well?”

“I’m going to choose what I think are next mission should be, unless you need to have some downtime for that shoulder to heal?”

“I’m good sir; you know how much I hate downtime.”

“I know it usually leads to paint covered rookies.”

Clint chuckled at that and closed his eyes. “Maybe for this next mission you could pick out some place nice.”

“There’s a drug runner in Italy that could use your expertise.”

“I’ve never been to Italy.”

“Come to think of it, neither have I. After the debrief I’ll let Director Fury know we want that mission.”

“Excellent, now we both can rest on the flight home.” Clint mumbled just before he fell into a deep sleep.

Phil watched Clint for a moment before settling further into his chair. Taking the mission in Italy meant they would be flying out of the country in forty eight hours after they got back from this one. Since the time they had been partnered as handler and asset Phil had started spending more time either in the office or the field then he had at home. Having been in Pakistan for the last two weeks, Phil decided he should try and fit some time in to run home for a proper shower and fresh clothes.


	6. Chapter 6

_Florence, Italy – week five_

Phil found Clint leaning against the balcony of their hotel room looking down at the Arno River an untouched glass of wine in his hand. Picking up the glass on the table, Phil stepped out to join him. “I was finally able to get in touch with the Director; the earliest an extraction team can get here is seventy two hours.”

Clint glanced at Phil briefly before focusing on the river again. His hand clenched on the wine glass before he brought it up to his lips.

Phil tested the wine himself and found that it was quite enjoyable. Clint knew how to pick out a good wine, something that had surprised Phil at first as he always thought of the other man as more of a beer guy. “This is a very nice red, what is it called again?”

“Chianti, it’s produced right here in Tuscany.”

“I’ll have to make sure I snag a few bottles before we leave.”

“I’ve stashed five bottles in my bag; I’ll share them with you but don’t let Natasha know about them.” Clint told him flashing a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Frowning Phil set his wine down and leaned over and snagged Clint’s sunglasses from his face. Ignoring the other man’s protests he then placed his hands on Clint’s face and turned him so he could look the other man in the eyes. “What happened wasn’t your fault Clint. It was a complete accident; there was no way you could have predicted the actions of a trapped man or that of a woman protecting her child.”

Clint tried looking away but brought his eyes back to Phil’s. “It doesn’t change the fact that a woman and her daughter are dead because of my actions.”

Phil watched the remorse that danced across the other man’s face. Before being partnered with Clint he had heard the stories of the two cold blooded assassins whose only choice had been join or die. He also knew of what Clint had done before he signed up to work with the agency but looking at the man before him you would never guess that this was the same man from the stories. “You saved her two sons and countless of others with your actions.”

“If I had been faster, I would have saved them as well. I have eyes like a hawk, I never miss.” Clint pointed out. “Now every time I close my eyes I see my arrow embedding itself into an innocent woman’s back as she tried to protect her daughter from a crazy gun wielding bastard knowing the last thing she heard was the sound of the gun that killed her daughter.”

Phil studied the dark circles around Clint’s eyes; he had guessed that the other man hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep since they had carried out the mission with unfortunate results. “You’re a good man and a good agent Clint Barton; don’t let this one incident define you.”

“I’ve killed many people before but this is different, being responsible for the death of two innocent people… it’s indescribable. How do I keep going with blood of the innocent on my hands, how can I ever sleep at night?”

“I won’t lie to you and say that this is something you’ll forget because you never will. You’ll think of that woman and her daughter for years to come but what you start to think of them you have to turn your focus to something else or it will consume you.”

“You sound like your speaking from experience.”

“I’ve been an agent for over ten years, so yes I also have innocent blood on my hands.” Phil confessed.

“What do you do then, when the guilt starts to consume you?”

“I often find comfort in the company of others.”

“I take it when you say comfort you mean a bout of hot and angry sex.” Clint asked as he studied Phil.

Phil dropped his hands and then turned and consumed the rest of his wine. “That’s not exactly what I mean.” Phil told him as he re-filled his glass, frowning as his hand shook a bit.

Clint finished off his glass then came to Phil’s side and held it out to be filled. “So no sex then, just being around people?”

Before responding, Phil drank the entire contents in his wine glass. Setting it down Phil turned and took the now empty glass in Clint’s hand. “No I mean sex but just the hot no angry.” Phil told him as he took Clint’s hand and tugged the other man inside the room with him. “Clint, do you trust me?”

Clint studied Phil as the man slowly back them further into the bedroom. Natasha had been correct when she had mentioned his desire to sleep with Phil, the lust that had been curling in his belly since their first mission together and had only grown stronger since then. But Natasha was also correct when she had used the word complicated but then again it was just sex and if it helped… “I trust you Phil.” Clint finally whispered out.

Phil smiled at Clint before pulling the younger man into his arms. For a moment they just held onto each other and something fluttered through Phil, as the trust Clint had for him showed in his eyes. Now should have been the time that he remembered that he couldn’t do this. That he had made a commitment and how wrong it was for him to even be in this position but this was something he had wanted since Germany, since he first felt that curl of lust in the car. Decision made, Phil let go of any reasoning why he shouldn’t be doing this and leaned in to claim what he wanted.

When Phil’s lips finally met his, the heat of it went from Clint’s lips to his toes. What started out as a soft and gentle kiss quickly turned into something more as Clint parted his lips enough to allow Phil’s tongue access to his and as he leaned further into Phil he found that he wanted his hands on the flesh under the layer of clothes the other man had on. The bloody tie that was always present and never crooked regardless of the situation was the first to go followed by the jacket and after slowly unbuttoning the dress shirt that too fell away. Clint broke the kiss to take in the sight of his lover’s chest and abdomen the man was well built and clearly worked out to keep in good shape. “Take off your shoes.” Clint demanded before attacking Phil’s lips with his while his hands made quick work of Phil’s pants.

For his part, Phil shuddered as the cold air embraced his naked body. When Clint’s eyes met his, the burning lust and need in them had him moving forward. “You have way too much on.”

Clint smirked and then leaned in to kiss Phil again, a kiss that was all tongue and saliva. Then pulling away he pushed Phil back until they hit the edge of the bed and shoved him down hard. Reaching down he pulled his shirt off and went about removing his jeans.

The wanting moan that came from the back of his throat surprised Phil, as he took in the lean naked form of the younger man before him. Sitting up he reached out. “Get on this bed, now.”

Clint smirked as he took a step forward and placed his hand in Phil’s letting the older man pull him down. “Have I ever told you how much I love it when you order me around like that?”

“Is that why you sometimes ignore me when I give you an order?” Phil asked, before he started mapping out Clint’s body with his tongue and lips.

Clint shuddered but couldn’t respond when Phil suddenly took him deep into his mouth. It didn’t take long before the orgasm rolled through Clint’s body and he moaned as Phil came forwarded and kissed him deeply, tasting himself on the other man’s lips. “Oh god.” Clint moaned.

“Phil works too.”

Clint huffed out a laugh and brought Phil’s lips back to his and then his hands started down the other man’s body.

Phil forgot what he was doing as Clint’s hands began to caress him and found he could no longer think coherently. “You have very talented hands.” Phil was blushing even before he was finished speaking.

Clint smirked and then he reached over a grabbed something off the nightstand and passed it to Phil.

Phil looked at the bottle of lotion and then back up at Clint. “Are you sure about this?”

“I meant when I said I trust you Phil and I want… no I need you in me now.” Clint told him as he lifted his hips up to Phil’s.

“Jesus.” Phil muttered as he felt himself get harder by the other man’s actions. “Move up a bit a spread your legs and put this pillow under you.” Phil ordered as he opened the lotion, his hands shaking slightly in anticipation.

“Sir, yes sir.” Clint replied cheekily as he quickly followed through with the orders.

Moving forward, Phil wrapped both of Clint’s legs around him and then coated his fingers with the lotion before moving down to trace around Clint’s entrance. With his other free hand he reached up and squeezed Clint’s hand in his at the same time his finger breached Clint’s entrance. After a moment he added another digit and slowly began opening up the other man.

“Phil, please.” Clint moaned as Phil’s fingers brushed against his prostate.

Pulling his fingers out, Phil reached behind him for the lotion and coated himself with it. Leaning forward he pulled Clint into a kiss that left them both breathless. Then with his eyes locked on Clint’s he lined himself up and slowly pushed forward, he paused once he was fully in and kissed the man beneath him.

Breaking the kiss Clint nodded at Phil telling him it was alright for the other man to move. It didn’t take long for a smooth rhythm to be developed by the pair and Clint was left breathless once again as Phil managed to hit his prostate with every thrust. Bracing himself up with one hand he pulled Phil in for another kiss, as his other hand reached down and Clint began stroking himself. When Phil’s hand wrapped around Clint’s he was done and came moaning loudly as his body shuddered through his second orgasm.

Clint’s body clenching around him was all it took for Phil to come undone and holding onto Clint he came silently. They laid together in silence for a moment before Phil pulled out; rolling out of the bed he walked to the bathroom and grabbed a wet wash cloth. Setting the lotion back on the nightstand he turned to Clint and gently washed him off.

Clint watched Phil quietly, almost afraid to ruin the moment by speaking. When Phil made the motion to get up, Clint reached up and pulled him down by his arm. “Stay, please.”

Setting the cloth down on the nightstand, Phil climbed into the bed and got in behind Clint and held the other man in his arms. “You can sleep now Clint, I’m not going anywhere.”

Feeling safe in the arms of the other man, Clint closes his eyes and for the first time since the accident he sleeps.  


	7. Chapter 7

_Five months later_

Since being put with different handlers it was rare for the two friends to be both state side and on leave at the same time having gone the last few months with only being able to see each other for a few minutes before one of the had to leave for a mission.

Natasha drank down her twelfth shot of vodka like it was her first and studied Clint as he turned to order them another round of shots. “You’re different and I just can’t quite put my finger on what it is.”

“I haven’t gotten my hair cut in a few months.” Clint replied.

“No, I don’t mean your physical appearance.” Natasha narrowed her eyes and continued to study him. “Actually, you’ve never been one to worry about how you look until quite recently and you’re happy.”

“I’m not allowed to be happy?” Clint asked nonchalantly.

Natasha didn’t answer; she just started downing all the shots the bartender put in front of them knowing that she’d be carrying Clint out of here if he drank any more vodka. It wasn’t until a very good looking man came up and offered to buy Clint a drink only to be turned down did it hit her.

“Nat, what the hell?!” Clint nearly leaped out of his chair when he was showered down with vodka.

“I can’t believe it, you’re sleeping with him! You’re sleeping with him and you haven’t said a word to me about this. You always tell me about your sexual conquests.” Natasha all but yelled out.

Clint finished cleaning his face and put the napkin down. He should have known that she’d figure it out before the night was out. “Well, we haven’t really had a chance to sit down and catch up lately.”

“Bullshit, you used to text me details of your sexual conquests regardless of what part of the world either one of us was in. Which means that this is serious, are you in a relationship with him?”

“What, no it’s just sex that’s it. No strings attached, but really amazing sex.” Clint shrugged as he picked up his drink. “That’s all there is to it.”

“That’s all there is to it my ass.” Natasha scoffed. “Your head over heels in love with the man, you never sleep with the same person twice and I would know this.”

This time it was Natasha’s turn to get a face full of liquor. “Are you crazy? I’m not in love with Phil! That has to be the craziest thing you’ve ever said.”

“Well in that case then, I want details.” Natasha demanded as she grabbed a napkin.

“Details, there are no details. It’s just sex and that is it.” Clint told her as he pulled out his wallet.

“Yeah right, somehow I’m having trouble believing you but continue living in your world of denial.” Natasha replied as she put on her coat.

“I’m not in denial over anything.” Clint told her as they walked outside.

“Well, can I ask how long this has been going on for?”

“Since our mission in Italy.” Clint shrugged.

“Just take care of yourself, you’re the only friend I have and I don’t want you to end up being hurt.”

“I’m a big boy Nat, don’t worry about me.” Clint leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Want to have lunch with me tomorrow before you fly out?”

“That would be nice.” Natasha sighed, knowing she wouldn’t be getting anything further out of Clint. “Usual place, meet you at eleven?”

“I’ll see you there.” Clint replied. He waited until she was in a cab before turning and heading home. Fifteen minutes later he was walking into his apartment; it had been several months since he had been here and the place was dusty and smelled stale. He opened the patio door to let in some air and headed into his bedroom. He stripped his clothes off before walking into the attached bathroom and straight into the shower. With the water beating down, his thought’s turned to what Nat had said earlier. There was no way he was in love with Phil Coulson, it was just sex and that’s all it was. It’s not like he even sees the man outside of work. Of course this is the first downtime they’ve had since they started sleeping together five months ago, and Fury had ordered them both on a four week mandatory leave. But Clint can easily go without sex for four weeks and he doesn’t need Phil to pleasure himself. With that in mind, he grabbed his hardening length and slowly began to stroke himself and tried to not think about his handler but as he came it was Phil and only Phil that consumed his mind.

* * *

It was going into week two of his mandatory downtime and Clint was pretty sure he was slowly losing his mind. The apartment had never been cleaner as he had gone through it several times already and every movie he owned had been watched. He had debated going out and doing something today but when he woke up the rain had been pouring down and a thunder storm rumbled in the distance. He had just sat down with a book and a cup of coffee when the intercom buzzed. Clint frowned as he got up, the only one who would come to visit him here was Natasha and she was still in Istanbul for at least another month. “Hello?”

“Clint, hey it’s me.”

Clint took a step back in shock at the voice coming through the intercom. “Phil? How did you know where I lived?”

“I’ve had complete access to your file since I became your handler. Is it okay if I come up? Or if you’re busy I can leave.”

“No, I’m not busy you just caught me by surprise. Come on up.” Clint pressed the button to open the front door and then remembering that he was still in the same clothes he had slept in last night, he ran into the bedroom to change. He put on his best jeans and shirt and was checking his hair in the mirror when the knock on the door startled him and he realized that he was going over himself like a teenage girl about to head out on a first date. He quickly messed his hair up a bit before going to the door and throwing it open. He opened his mouth to greet his handler but any thoughts of speaking were soon gone as Phil launched himself into the apartment and fused his mouth to Clint’s. For his part Clint barely remember to kick the door shut before he was lifted off his feet and carried to his bedroom. It wasn’t until they reached the bed did they finally pull apart to breath. Dropping himself down on the bed, Clint quickly made work of taking off the clothes he just put on.

“Going commando these days I see.” Phil smirked as his hands traced along his lover’s body.

Clint blushed as he realized that in his rush not to be seen in his sleep wear he had forgotten to put on any underwear. “Maybe I decided to stop wearing any so that every time you see me you’ll know there is only one piece of clothing in your way.”

Lust danced through Phil’s body and he knew that the next mission brief he had to sit through would be torture and voiced this thought to Clint before bending down and taking his lover’s length into his mouth.

As Phil’s mouth worked him, Clint gripped his hands into the older man’s hair and swore that he would go commando for the rest of his life if this is what it would lead to.

Several hours later after the pair had thoroughly destroyed each other time and time again. Clint was lounging on the bed as he watched Phil try and locate his tie. “Are you sure you don’t want to stick around? Maybe order some Chinese and watch the game.”

Phil turned to answer the question and spotted his tie under the bed. Wondering how it got under there he leaned down and picked it up. “I wish I could but I have an appointment in an hour that I can’t cancel.” Phil told him as he put the tie on and straightened it. “I’m free tomorrow night though, how about I come over at about seven or so and take you out for dinner?”

Clint swore he felt his heart stop. “I can live with that.”

Phil smiled and then leaned over and kissed him. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. I’ll just let myself out; I want this picture of you in my mind until I see you again.”

Clint blushed lightly and pulled Phil in for one last kiss before the older man left. When he heard the front door close his heart started beating again. “Well fuck.” With that he turned to grab his cell phone to see if Natasha was free to talk to him and the words ‘I told you so’ would most likely be said often.


	8. Chapter 8

Phil ended up arriving at Clint’s place an hour earlier then he said he would but took almost forty minutes just to work up the courage to walk up to door of the building and ring the buzzer. Hearing Clint’s voice on the intercom gave him the strength he needed to walk through the front doors and into the elevator. Being home and now going on their first official date made this seem more real, almost like a relationship but that’s not the word he would use to describe what he was doing he refused to voice the word, even in the confidence of his own mind. He stopped outside of Clint’s door and froze, trying to get a hold of the many emotions he was feeling. When he finally lifted his hand to knock on the door all negative and uncertain thoughts were quickly forgotten at the sight of the man on the other side of the open door. The dark jeans hugged in all the right places and Phil could tell that Clint wasn’t wearing anything underneath them and made a mental note to confirm that fact later in the evening. The dark purple dress shirt also fit the other man perfectly and the color just helped enhance Clint’s eyes. “You look amazing.”

Clint’s smile went from unsure to confident in seconds. “Thanks, I wasn’t sure where you were planning on taking us so I figured this be okay.”

“It’s more than okay. I’m now torn between going out or keeping you up here to myself.” Phil confessed as he took another step forward and placed both hands on Clint’s hips.

"It will be nice to go out for a change but there is one small problem." Clint replied as he wrapped one hand around Phil's tie pulling it out from the suit.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I've never told you this but since we're going to be seen in public together you simply must know the truth." Clint paused slightly before bring his other hand up to loosen the tie. "I really hate this tie and you’re absolutely forbidden from wearing it."  
  
In his nervousness, Phil had completely forgotten about putting on a tie and had grabbed the one he had tossed onto the floor board a week before and had put it on without looking at it. Glancing down at the tie he now held in his hand he wasn't surprised to see it was the one he had received as a Christmas gift the year prior. One he only wore when it was mentioned by the gift giver that he hadn't worn it in a while. He detested the slimness and pattern of the tie and had a backup in his office desk to wear when it was forced on him. "I hate this tie as well and if I had realized it was the only one I had in the car I wouldn't have bothered with it. I just feel so naked without my tie."   
  
"That has to be the most cutest and ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say." Clint told him with a smirk on his face.   
  
"More so than the time I asked if it was possible for you to spend less time chatting on the coms?"   
  
"That was you issuing an order, this is you being very open and honest about something with me but don't worry, I know just what to do."   
  
Phil could only watch as the hideous tie was pluck from his hand, quickly snipped in half and dropped in the kitchen garbage before Clint disappeared into the bedroom. When Clint came back he was carrying a silk tie that easily matched the color of his shirt.  
  
"This is the only tie I own and I've only ever worn it once with no plans on ever wearing it again. You might as well have it and wear it tonight so you’re comfortable for dinner. I know you can't eat when you’re uncomfortable and I want us to have a good time tonight."

Taking the tie from Clint’s hand, Phil quickly put it on while he wondered how it was possible that Clint could know him so well while others who have been in his life for much longer didn’t really know him at all. “Better?”

“Much.” Clint replied as he ran his down the tie and tucked it in Phil’s jacket. “I think we’re good to go now.”

Phil waited while Clint locked his door and then lead him out to where he had parked the car. Starting up the car his face quickly heated up as the ‘How to’ disk he was listening to on the drive over flowed out of the speakers. He fumbled for a moment before hitting the eject button and tossing the disk over his shoulder. “Sorry about that, I should have a case with some music in it somewhere.”

“As long as you have something better than the music we listen to in Japan, my ears never fully recovered from that crap.” Clint told him as he reached forward to open the glove box.

Panic went through Phil as he reached over and slammed the door before it could be fully opened. “It’s not in there; I just realized I left the case in my office after our last mission.”

Clint eyed Phil as he pulled his hand back to his side. “Are you okay?”

“What? Yes, yes I’m fine. It’s just that I’ve got so much crap stuffed in there I don’t want it falling in your lap. I really should have cleaned the car out before tonight.”

Clint glanced around the clean car and just nodded. “Why don’t we just listen to the radio instead?”

“That’s fine.” Phil replied, as he pulled into the traffic.

“So where are we going tonight?” Clint asked as he adjusted the radio.

“A new Steakhouse Bar and Grill opened up a few blocks from the office during our last mission and I’ve heard many great things about it so I figured we’d go there.”

“It’s been awhile since I’ve had a good steak.” Clint smiled and then quickly launched into a story Natasha had told him about the latest mission she and Agent Hill had been on, forgetting all about Phil’s strange behaviour moments before.


	9. Chapter 9

They stayed at the Grill for several hours and it was just shy of midnight when they pulled in front of Clint’s building. Phil reached his hand towards the key sitting in the ignition but pulled it back before he could touch it.

Clint watched the uncertainty cross Phil’s face and quickly realized he needed to take matters into his own hands. Taking of his seatbelt he shifted and smoothly pulled Phil in for a kiss with one hand while the other shut the car off and pocketed the car keys before pulling away and getting out of the car.

The sound of the car door shutting had Phil’s eyes opening and frowned when he realized he was now alone in the car. When his door flew open he jumped and was thankful that the yelp died in his throat and just stared blankly at Clint for a moment.

Laughing, Clint reached in and undid the seat belt. “Maybe we shouldn’t have had that second bottle of wine, you look a little out of it Phil.”

Phil shook his head slightly and took the offered hand. “I just spaced out a bit, besides you’re the one who drank most of the second bottle.”

“What’s got you so spaced out then if it’s not the wine?” Clint asked as they entered the elevator, nodding at the other couple that entered with them.

All feeling of uncertainty gone, Phil leaned in close and dropped his voice down to a whisper. “I was going through all the things I wanted to do to you tonight and then I started thinking of where I wanted to do them.”

Clint blushed and shivered a bit as Phil’s tongue ran down his ear and he tried desperately to avoid looking in the direction of the other couple as they got off on their floor. “Oh, and what did you come up with?”

Phil leaned past Clint and pushed the stop button on the control panel causing the elevator to come to a complete halt.

The unexpected stop along with the alcohol in his system has Clint stumbling back into Phil’s arms. “Phil, what are you…”

Phil quickly silenced the other man by pushing him against the back of the elevator and sealing his lips with a deep kiss. When the need for oxygen had him pulling away he quickly made work of undoing and shoving Clint’s jeans to his ankles. A smile crossed his face as he confirmed his earlier theory of there being nothing under those jeans. “Suck.” Phil ordered as he brought his fingers up to the other man’s lips.

Clint shuddered as he got, if possible, harder as he followed through with the order issued. This was a side of the older man he had never seen before and he hoped it wasn’t the last time.

Phil pulled his fingers out of Clint’s mouth and went about stretching and doing what he could to make this less painful for the younger man. Once he was sure that he had prepared the other man as best as he could he pulled Clint in for another quick kiss before pulling away. “Turn around and grip onto the bars.” Phil instructed as he shed his pants. “Are you ready?”

Clint glanced into the mirror at Phil’s reflection and just nodded, his ability to speak had left him after the first kiss.

Keeping his eyes locked on the reflection of Clint’s, Phil slowly entered the younger man stopping when he was fully in not moving until he received another nod. The pace he set was fast and it wasn’t long before both men were coming undone. Pulling out, Phil glanced at Clint’s reflex and in a panic quickly turned the other man in his arms. “Did I hurt you?”

Clint quickly rubbed away the tears that were making their way down his face. “No that was amazing and felt really good. I just accidently bit my tongue that’s all.” Clint silently cursed at how weak that lie seemed but from the look on Phil’s face it worked.

“I’m not really sure what brought that on, but I couldn’t wait a moment longer to have you.” Phil told him as the pair re-dressed.

“If it was the wine I’m ordering that stuff in by the barrel.” Clint told him as he pushed the button to get the elevator started again.

“Clint, are you sure you’re okay?” Phil asked once again as he laid his hand on the other man’s arm.

Clint blinked away the tears before they could fall and didn’t look at Phil until he stepped out of the elevator. “I’m fine Phil and as soon as I get you into my bed I’ll prove it to you.”

Phil stepped out and followed Clint down the hall. “I like the sound of that plan. Just don’t let me forget to set the alarm, I have an appointment tomorrow morning I’m afraid.”

“Don’t you worry; I’m not planning on either of us sleeping tonight.” Clint told him as he pulled Phil into the apartment. “So I really hope you don’t need to be alert for this appointment.”

“Well, no I guess it doesn’t even really matter.” Phil replied before he was easily tossed onto the bed.

“Excellent, then for the next little while just lay back and enjoy yourself.” Clint smirked down at Phil.

After that night the next two weeks of leave went by quickly for the pair. Clint was still dealing with the fact that he had fallen very much in love with Phil Coulson and he still wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it. That feeling had all but over whelmed him in the elevator and he still couldn’t believe he started to get so emotional that he started to cry and was grateful that Phil had bought, if just, the story of accidently biting his tongue. He wasn’t quite ready to start talking about his feelings quite yet, not at this stage in their… whatever it is.

Now they were on their way to Central Africa to take down a man that had managed to slip past most of the agents the agency had sent to take him down and when the last few had come home in body bags the Director had ordered Clint and Phil to finish him off. Clint ended up pretending to be asleep for most of the flight to try and get his head into the game as getting distracted out here usually ended badly and ending badly usually meant dead in their line of work.


	10. Chapter 10

_Borkou Region, Chad_

This mission hadn’t felt right since the Director had given it to them and the fact that Clint seemed out of sorts on the flight over had just intensified that feeling. Phil tried not to be hurt by the fact that Clint had spent most of the flight pretending to be asleep rather than talking to him like they usually do, be it about the mission at hand or just life in general. He debated saying something to Clint about it when the man ‘woke up’ but Clint had excellent timing and they landed quickly thereafter. They were now going on day four of the mission with still no sight of the target and as each day passed, the feeling that something was going to go wrong grew and Phil spent his day’s pacing around in the safe house checking in with Clint every fifteen to twenty minutes. Then he would spend his night’s wide awake holding Clint close to him. It was going on day eight that they finally spotted their target and at this point Phil’s nerves were so shot that he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last on this mission. “What’s the situation Barton?”

“There’s a seven vehicle caravan and our guy is located in the Humvee in the middle. These guys are heavily armed Coulson, I’m not equipped with the proper weapon to take the target down when the party is moving. I need him out of the vehicle to take him.”

“Intel said there would be our target plus twelve or more bodyguards.”

“Well we can defiantly go with more because so far I’m up to eighteen and counting.”

“Fuck.”

“That’s well put Coulson. How should we proceed?”

“You can’t take on that many without proper back up and since the intel we got was clearly wrong I’m pulling the plug on this mission for today. Are you able to safely leave your perch?”

“Yes, I’ll be at the safe house in twenty, Barton out.”

Phil put his radio down and turned to the file they had received before they had left for the mission. If this is what all the other agents had been working on no wonder they had all failed to get the job done. Their target was just too heavily armed while he was in this region and unless they had a larger team there was no way one man could take him down no matter how good his aim was. Phil glanced down at his watch and frowned, it was almost coming up on the twenty minute mark. When the urge to go wait by the door hit him Phil sat down and read some of the previous mission debriefs to see what had gone wrong in those ones and how they could avoid making the same mistakes. When twenty had turned to thirty then to forty minutes Phil was up and pacing. He eyed the radio a few times but knew he couldn’t risk anything by calling Clint on it. When an hour had gone by then three, Phil was seriously considering grabbing a gun and going out to search for Clint, but just as he was getting ready to do that he heard a sound on the roof. Relived he quickly rushed towards the window in the bedroom and threw it open. He had Clint in his arms before the man’s feet could even touch the floor. “What took so long to get back?” Phil asked, even as he pulled back to start checking for any injuries.

“I’m fine Phil, just couldn’t clear out as fast as I thought I could and of course they would decide to stop for a short break right where I’m at.” Clint frowned. “I couldn’t risk calling you on the radio, I’m sorry if I worried you.”

Phil took a step back as he realized that he was acting like a concerned lover and not as an agent like he should in situations like this. “Go take a shower Barton, you stink. Then when you’re done we’ll see what our next course of action will be.”

Hurt flashed through Clint’s eyes at the dismissive tone in Phil’s voice and the man only called him Barton over the radio or in the presence of other agents. “Will do Sir.”

Phil flinched as the bathroom door was slammed closed harder than it needed to be. He then turned back to what he was working on to distract himself from thinking of Clint. After re-reading the same sentence several times without actually taking in what he was reading he put his work to the side and sat down on the bed to wait for Clint to get out of the shower. He realized that he had crossed a line in Italy, one he had no right to cross but Phil couldn’t bring himself to regret the choice he made.

It was silently agreed upon that they would snap up every mission that came their way and spent the time on said missions dancing back from agents to lovers and back again. The last mission before the mandatory down time had been a rough one and it had also made Phil take a step back to try and revaluate what he was doing and no matter how good it felt to be with the other man he knew it was still wrong. So for the first two weeks off he tried his best to not think of Clint but of course the more he tried not to think of him the more the man had consumed his mind. In the end, he had all but sneaked out of his own home like a thief and had gone to Clint.

He told himself that he was going there to end things and to make everything right again they needed to be handler and asset only. But when Clint had opened the door to him, Phil realized that he would be a fool to let this man go and Phil Coulson was no fool. Something changed after that day, he wasn’t sure what it was but he did know one thing, he wasn’t the only one to notice the change. When the bathroom door opened he looked up to study Clint, who for his part ignored him completely and walked over to his bag for a change of clothes. Getting up, Phil walked over to his side and laid a hand on the other man’s shoulder and turned him around. “Clint, I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for Coulson.” Clint told him, copying the dismissive tone that Phil had used earlier perfectly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me I want to get dressed and then we can go over the new mission plan.”

For his part, all Phil could do was drop his hand from Clint’s shoulder and back out of the way. Just when he thought this mission couldn’t get worse. Phil ran his hands through his hair and debating on just letting this slide, they could deal with this when they got state side but that would only make matters worse, they needed to deal with this now. With that, Phil crossed the room and pulled open the bathroom door. Clint stood there with the towel in his hand and his clothes still on the counter. He looked up and met Phil’s eyes in the mirror. “I do have something to be sorry for, I forgot for a moment that while we are lovers we are agents first and that is my problem and I shouldn’t have dismissed you like I did because I lost my professional heading so I’m sorry.”

Clint turned around and leaned back against the counter. “I’m sorry that I acted as a hurt lover instead of a professional agent. You had the right idea to step back and act as my handler.”

“I could have handled it a little better.” Phil said as he took a step forward.

Clint put his hand up to Phil’s chest to stop him. “Maybe we should take a step back until we’ve completed this mission? The last thing either one of us wants is to be distracted on the field.”

“You’re completely right.” Phil took a step back and that was one of the hardest things he’d done in a long time. “I’m going to go make coffee, want any?”

“Please.” Clint stood there staring at the closed bathroom for the longest time before finally turning and getting dressed. Chad was most defiantly not going on to his list of favourite destinations, he thought as he finally headed out to join Phil.

_48 hours later_

The blood was flowing past his fingers at an alarming rate and nothing he did was slowing it down. He had called in an emergency extraction team nearly an hour ago and he feared that they wouldn’t get here in time. He struggled to remain calm while inside the panic threatened to sweep him up. For the first time in their partnership they had failed and their target remained a free man while his lover’s life hung in the balance. The sound of the helicopter had him crying in relief, they were getting the hell out of here and he swore on his life they would never return to this region. When the medics approached him, he quickly remembered that he was an agent first and a lover second and backed up to let the men work on his partner. When the paddles came out to bring the other man back from the brink of death he stood frozen and couldn’t move even if he wanted to. Once they had him stable the medics moved their patient onto the helicopter and he quickly followed and sat in the back as the lover told the agent in him to take the back seat until they reached a hospital. 


	11. Chapter 11

_Two weeks later_

Waking up was a slow and painful process after one had been shot several times and then put through three different and very long surgeries. He found that any sudden movement hurt too much so he took in what he could of the room with his eyes. He had known that he was in a hospital even before he was fully awake and already he was itching to get out. It was dark in the room, except for a light that was coming through from the hallway. There was an occupied chair on either side of his bed and knowing that they were both there looking over him allowed him to close his eyes and succumb to a natural sleep.

The next time he opened his eyes the sun was coming through the window and there was only one person in the room with him. “How are things in Istanbul?”

Natasha jumped away from the window and sat down on the bed, taking Clint’s hand in hers. “On hold at the moment but so far so good. How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good considering, but I think it’s mostly because of the drugs.” Clint replied as he eyed the morphine drip. “Where’s Phil?”

“He’s just outside on the phone with the Director.” Natasha told him. “He’ll be right back after he’s done.”

“Thanks, so when did you get here and where is here exactly?”

“This is the US Naval Hospital located in Sigonella, Italy. After you were shot Coulson ordered the emergency extraction team take you here as your body wasn’t stable enough to go further without surgery. I was told that they had to use the paddles on you several times on the flight over. That was a little over two weeks ago, Coulson called me as soon as you were in surgery. I got here a few days after a little stop in Central Africa. Never send in boys to do a woman’s job.”

“Killed the bastard did you?”

“I did, I offered to bring the head back but Coulson said it would be best if I didn’t.” Natasha squeezed Clint’s hand. “You took a lot of years of that man’s life. I don’t think he’s slept for more than a few hours each day. The Director actually order him back state side a few days back and he said that he’d come back when you were able to. You’re a lucky man Clint.”

“What do you mean?” Clint asked as his attention focused out on the hallway having heard Phil’s voice.

“That the man you’re in love with just happens to be in love with you.”

That had Clint’s head whipping back towards her. “Did he say something to you?”

“Of course not, but it’s pretty obvious and anyone with working eyes can see it. He may not be ready to say it but trust me when I tell you, he’s crazy about you.”  

“Nat…” Clint didn’t know what to say.

“I have to get back to Istanbul now, before Agent Hill follows through on her threat to drag me out of here.” Natasha told him before leaning over and kissing his forehead. “Let your man take care of you and I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“I love you Nat.”

Natasha stopped at the door and smiled. “I love you too.”

Clint settled back in the bed and stared out the window to try and stay awake until Phil got back in the room. It wasn’t long until he heard the sound of the other man’s shoes on the hospital floor. He turned his head and studied the other man who had stopped right at the door. He noticed right away that Natasha was right; the man looked like he hadn’t slept in a very long time. “Phil.”

“Clint, you’re awake.” Phil rushed to his side. “How are you feeling?”

“Morphine, good stuff but I’m sure I’ll be feeling it when it wears off. How about you, no offence but you look like shit, when did you sleep last?”

“I got a few hours just last night.”

“I meant on a bed not in a chair at my bedside.” Clint told him as he started shifting.

“What are you doing?”

“Making room for you, I’m tired and I want to sleep in your arms.”

Taking off his shoes, Phil gently slid in next to Clint and carefully wrapped his arms around him. “Don’t ever do that to me again, I don’t think I could stand to lose you.”

“Don’t worry; you can’t get rid of me that easily.” Clint told him as his eyes shut and he was once again sleeping.

* * *

_Six weeks later_

“Can I open my eyes yet?”

“Just give me another minute.”

“That’s what you said two minutes ago.”

“Yes, well I lied.” Phil told Clint as he guided him down in a chair. “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

Clint opened his eyes and it took him only seconds to realize where they were as he took in the balcony and the view of the river beyond it. “Phil.”

“We’ve officially been working together for eighteen months but it’s the last seven that have meant the most and I wanted to come back to the place where we began.” Phil told him as he passed Clint a glass of wine.

“Who knew you could be such a romantic.” Clint teased Phil.

“Only for you it seems.”

Clint took the cover off his plate and wasn’t surprised to see his favourite dish from the last time they stayed at the hotel. “You don’t miss a thing do you?”

“You should see what I got us for dessert.”

After dinner, Clint walked up to Phil and pushed his chair back before sitting down on the older man’s lap. “So I have an idea, how about we have dessert later, much later?” Without giving the other man a chance to answer, Clint surged forward and fused their mouths together while grinding his body down on Phil's. When he could no longer breath Clint pulled back and continued grinding until both men were hard. “Shall we move this to the bedroom?”

Phil pulled Clint’s lips back to his and caressed the other man’s bottom with his hands. Ending the kiss, he stood up with Clint in his arms and his legs wrapped around his waist. When they reached the edge of the bed Phil groaned as Clint shifted and rubbed their erections together. "I want you naked, now."   
   
Clint reached up and pulled his shirt off and undid his jeans. "Need a little help getting out of these jeans."  
   
"How did you get into them?" Phil asked as he gently dropped Clint on the bed.  
   
"It took a lot of wiggling but since my ass looks so amazing in them I figured it was worth it."  
   
Phil nodded in agreement as he got the jeans free and tossed them over his shoulder and took in the lean naked form of his lover. “God, you’re beautiful.”

Clint blushed as he pushed himself further up the bed and beckoned Phil to him. “Come here.”  
   
Phil slowly worked his way up Clint's body with his lips, taking an extra second at the three freshly healed bullet wounds that had nearly taken Clint from him. Until finally he reached Clint's mouth and then covered the other man's body with his and the same time he teased Clint with his fingers as the kiss grew more passionate bringing both of them closer to the edge.  
   
"Oh god, oh god." Clint moaned and then he grabbed Phil's shirt and tore it open. "You, naked, now!" He gasped out.   
   
Phil wasted no time in throwing the ruined shirt to the floor followed by his pants; he reached up to remove his tie when a hand stopped him.  
   
"The tie stays." Clint told him, as he quickly flipped them over so that he was now on top. He kissed Phil breathless and then slowly kissed his way down the older man's body until he was down far enough and took Phil's entire length into his mouth. Once he was sure the other man was slick enough he moved forward with his knees on either side of Phil’s thighs and without any hesitation he slid himself down on his lover taking him in all the way. Clint moaned loudly at the feeling of being so full and pulled Phil up by his tie and fused their mouths together. The tie stayed wrapped in one of Clint’s hand while the other rested on Phil’s shoulder. It didn’t take them long to start moving as one and their love making was slow and gentle as neither one wanted this night to end. Clint came first with a cry and continued riding Phil even as the other man came undone and shuddered beneath him.

It wasn’t until later after several rounds of loving making that Clint was finally able to voice a question that had been at the back of his mind since the first time Phil came to his apartment. “Phil?”

“Hmmm?”

Clint turned in the other man’s arms so they were face to face. “Phil, I have an important question to ask.”

Phil went from sleepy to alert in seconds. “What is it?”

“Well, I’ve been wondering… what are we?”

“What do you mean?” Phil frowned.

“I mean, what are we to each other?” Clint asked again. “Are we friends and lovers or are we just sex buddies.”

Phil took a moment before answering. “This became more than just sex for me some time ago.”

Clint opened his mouth to respond but the words _I love you_ died in his throat. So instead he just leaned up to kiss Phil before putting his head on the other man’s chest and falling asleep to the sound of his beating heart. 


	12. Chapter 12

The next few months were spent state side and much to Clint’s dismay he didn’t get to see Phil as often as he would have liked. The first month after Italy was the hardest as Clint had been given a six week leave period and during that time Phil spent his days and sometimes evenings working in his office like he used to do before Clint came into his life. When Clint was finally cleared by medical to work in the field again he was usually partnered with Natasha on simple missions that usually only took a couple of days and didn’t require the handler to be out on the field. Whenever Clint started to wonder what he had had said or done wrong the man usually showed up and all those negative thoughts went to the back of his mind. Later as he laid there in bed with his lover still buried deep within him he would be angry at himself for being so stupid and for not trusting Phil enough to tell him how he felt.

For Phil, the last few months had been both the best and worst of his life. When Clint had asked him what they were to each other, Phil had acted as if he didn’t know what the other man was getting at and in the end he never actually answered the question. What he wanted to say and what he should have said was how much he loved the younger man and that for him it had never been just about sex, even for their first time together. It had always been more; of course, this was something he hadn’t realized until he nearly lost Clint. The first month back he used work as an excuse most nights not to go over to Clint’s place and spend the evening with the archer in his arms. It was when Natasha had barged into his office with promises of bodily harm if he ever hurt Clint that he realized how stupid he was being.

They had been together for almost ten months now, and he had been lying to Clint this entire time. Before they could get closer, Phil needed to come clean; he unclenched his fist and looked at the object that sat there. But Clint wasn’t the only one he had been untruthful to but in his heart, Phil knew that Clint was the only thing that mattered to him anymore. Opening the glove box he set the object down before closing it back up again. Getting out of his car he quickly made his way to the front door of Clint’s building using the key he’d been given a few months back made his way to the elevator. When he arrived at Clint’s apartment he almost walked right in but decided it be best to knock.

Clint opened the door wearing nothing but a pair of sweats. “Did you forget your key at the office?” He asked, as he held the door open for Phil to walk in.

“No, I just…” Phil stopped in the middle of the living room and took his hands out of his pockets. “I need to talk to you.”

Clint frowned at the seriousness in Phil’s voice. “Sure thing, have a seat. I’m just going to go put a shirt on.” Once he’s shirt was on, Clint schooled his features so the fear he felt wasn’t being played out on his face. Taking a seat next to Phil he shifted his body towards the other man. “What’s going on?”

Phil took both of Clint’s hands into his and squeezed them. “Clint, that night in Italy when you asked me what we are to each other, I never really answered you and you deserve an answer, to know the truth.”

Clint’s heart dropped into his stomach and he struggled to keep his eyes locked on Phil’s. “The truth and what is that?”

“The truth is Clint; I am madly, truly, deeply, passionately in love with you.” Phil told him. “I have been for some time now; it just took me nearly losing you to realize this and then longer still to work up the courage to tell you.”

“Phil…” Clint started to say, his heart was back where it belonged now but something still didn’t feel right to him. “There’s something else you’re not telling me isn’t there?”

Phil tightened his grip on Clint’s hands when he felt the other man’s hand’s go lax in his. “I don’t know how to say this but I just want you to remember how much I love you after I’m done telling you everything. Promise me that you’ll remember that I love you.”

“Of course I promise. Phil, you’re starting to scare me.”

“I haven’t been completely honest with you about something and god, I hope you’ll forgive me for this one day but I want to make it clear that you’re the only one for me.”

“Phil, are you trying to tell me you were sleeping with someone else at the same time? I mean, yeah I’m pissed that you’d go from my bed to someone else’s but It’s not like we said were exclusive.”

“No, it’s not exactly like that.” Phil quickly told him. “Clint, you should know that it’s only been you since our trip to Italy.”

Clint shook his head. “Phil, I don’t understand. What are you trying to say?”

Phi looked down at their joined hands. “Her name is Elizabeth, and she is my wife.”

Clint dropped Phil’s hands like he had been burned and jumped up quickly. “I beg your pardon?”

Phil tried taking a step forward but that just made Clint take two back. “Do you remember the day we met and Fury made me your handler, I was supposed to be on my holidays.”

“Yes, and we joked about an _empty_ apartment.” Clint replied bitterly. “Where were you really supposed to be?”

“When Fury called me in I was driving to the airport to board a plane going to Mexico, to celebrate my second wedding anniversary with my wife.” 

Clint turned around as tears started to fill his eyes, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Does she know yet? Have you told your wife that you were cheating on her?”

“No, I haven’t told her a thing.”

“Your wife doesn’t even suspect an affair?”

“Liz is a doctor and lately she’s been working at a hospital in Boston.”

Clint took a deep breath and he looked any were but at Phil. “Why didn’t you tell me about her after the first time we slept together? We could have easily written the entire thing off as one time can’t happen again but instead you stayed. Why did you stay?” Clint’s voice was a broken whisper now. “Do you really love me or did you just say all that crap so I wouldn’t leave you?”

“I would never lie to you about how I feel.” Phil told him, taking a chance to step forward. “I love you and I’ve cared about you since we first started working together. Clint you were so torn up over what happened on our mission in Italy and after we slept together you asked me to stay and I stayed because there was nowhere else in the world I wanted to be then in that bed with you in my arms. I stayed awake that night while you slept in my arms and I argued with myself that I was going to tell you the truth in the morning but when morning came… well I didn’t want to break the deep bond of trust we had developed.”

Clint wrapped his arms around himself as he thought back to that morning and how vulnerable and unsure of himself he had been when he had woken up in Phil’s arms. “It really doesn’t change the fact that you should have told me about your wife. I mean, since I assume you were sleeping with both of us at the beginning of our relationship.” Clint shrugged and feeling a bit sick he turned and walked towards the kitchen. “Phil, the day you came to me, our first time here. You left early, told me you had an appointment you couldn’t cancel and all your other appointments; it was to be with your wife wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Phil replied as he trailed behind the other man, afraid to have him out of his sight.

Clint stopped and looked out the window over the sink as his hands gripped the counter. “I assume you had sex with her that night as well.” Clint took Phil’s silence as his answer. “So basically, while I was coming to the realization I was in love with you, you were fucking your wife.”

“Clint, I love you and only you. I stopped being in love with my wife before we even started seeing each other.”

“You mean before we started our affair.” Clint corrected him angrily. “Are you planning on leaving her?”

“I’ve got my lawyer already drafting the divorce papers.” Phil told him. “Clint, please look at me.”

“I can’t look at you right now because all I want to do is shoot you in the ass with an arrow but lucky for you the Director won’t let me take my bow home with me.” Clint’s shoulders shook as he fought the tears back. “You lied to me Phil, all those times that we talked about our lives before each other about _past_ relationships. You say that you no longer love your wife but I can’t stop feeling like I’m responsible for destroying a marriage. I feel like such an idiot right now.”

“Clint…”

“I need you to leave Phil, I just… I need time to think.” Clint said softly.

Phil felt like his entire world was crashing down around him and it killed him to not be able to comfort the man he loved, especially since he was the one responsible for his pain. “I’ll go but I won’t stay away for long because I love you too much to just let go of you that easily.” Phil told him before he slipped out the door.

Clint waited until he heard his front door click shut before sinking to his knees and letting out a sob and then another until the tears came freely flowing down his cheeks. He wasn’t sure how long he had been there before Natasha walked in and sat down taking him into her arms.


	13. Chapter 13

Finding her only friend curled up on his kitchen floor crying his eyes out broke Natasha’s heart and for the first time in her life it left her feeling helpless. She continued to rock Clint in her arms even after he stopped crying. Knowing that when he was ready he would tell her what was wrong. But one thing was for sure; if Phil Coulson had broken her friend's heart there was no place on this earth that he could hide from her.

“Why are you here?”

“Phil called me, he seemed really upset and said that you were home and needed me. Clint, what is going on?”  
   
"He loves me Nat, you were right Phil loves me." Clint sniffed as he looked up at his friend.  
   
"I would have thought this would be a good thing. Are you no longer in love with him?"  
   
"I'll never stop loving him; I don't think I could live without him in my life.” Clint confessed.

“Clint, what did Phil say to upset you?”   
   
"He's married Nat!"   
   
"He’s what?"   
   
"Married to a woman named Elizabeth, she's a doctor and most likely a blonde with big breasts, perfect teeth and is over six feet."   
   
"Don't be ridiculous, Phil would never be with someone that tall.”

 Clint snorted out a laugh and smiled at his friend. "I'm glad your here."    
   
"Of course, now I take it he dropped this bomb on you after his declaration of love."

"Yes, one moment he’s declaring his love for me and then as neatly as you please he tells me that he's married. It turns out the day I met him he was supposed to be on a plane going to Mexico with her.” Clint tells her. “Nat, do you remember that night a few months back when I called you in Istanbul?"  
   
"Of course I remember it's when you finally came around to how you felt about Phil."  
   
"Yeah, well as it turns out while I was figuring out that I loved him Phil was fucking his wife. Kind of taints the memory now." Clint chuckled dryly. "I'm such an idiot."  
   
"You’re not an idiot; he is for not telling you he was married in the first place!"  
   
"Yes but in the back of my mind I knew there was something he wasn't telling me. He always acted strange when we were together here and some days he was free at night or others just the day, never both. But with her being a doctor makes sense of that."   
   
“Nothing about what you said jumps to me thinking the man might be married.” Natasha pointed out. "Is he planning on leaving her?”

"Yes, he told me that he already has his lawyer drafting the divorce papers. I'm just so torn on how I should feel Nat, on one hand I'm just so relieved and happy that he picked me that he loves me but then there is this poor woman out there who has been so wronged over all of this and she most likely won't even see this coming. I'm not even sure if Phil plans on telling her about the affair.”  
   
"What happened after Phil told you he’s filling for divorce?”  
   
"I told him to leave after that. I was so angry that I might have shot him if I had my bow."  
   
Natasha smiled at the mental image. "If you ask me it would have been a well-deserved arrow to the ass."  
   
"I love how you know me so well." Clint smiled.   
   
"Of course, I'm your best friend. Now how about we get off the kitchen floor, order ourselves a pizza and we can either talk some more or if you’d rather just watch a movie.”  
   
"I don’t really want to talk about it anymore tonight.”

“Movie it is then and you get to choose.”

“Natasha you are staying the night, right?"  
   
"Of course, you don’t even need to ask." Natasha replied as she pulled him up off the floor.  
   
"I'm really glad your here." Clint said before throwing his arms around her.  
   
"Nowhere else I'd rather be." Natasha said as she hugged him back.

Natasha ended up spending the entire weekend with Clint, for which he was grateful. It helped keep his mind off things during the day but at night he laid awake as his mind just wouldn’t let him sleep. By Monday he was still in shock over Phil’s confession and knew that he still wasn’t ready to talk to the man. He had voiced this to Natasha and she had disappeared in the direction of Phil’s office before he could even finish talking. After the shock wore of, he then felt guilty that, even though unknowing, he was partly responsible for destroying someone’s marriage. But the guilt quickly turned to anger. He was furious at Phil for having the nerve to touch and claim him when the man had made vows to someone else and regardless of when he fell out of love with his wife, the nerve to wait until they were ten months into their relationship to tell Clint, no, not relationship, affair. That word had him gritting his teeth as he stalked down the hallway to the director’s office almost a week later.

“Well, you look fit to do some killing.” Natasha remarked, as she watched him stalk up to her. “Let’s hope the Director is sending us off to do just that or nobody in this office is safe.”

“Very funny, didn’t realize you had become a comedian in this last week.” Clint glared at her.

Natasha just raised an eyebrow at that. “Well it’s good to see that you’re no longer upset and moping. Have you talked to him yet?”

“No and I’m kind of surprise that I haven’t ran into him at the office at all this last week.” Clint said, giving her a pointed look.

“I simply told him that when you were ready to talk to his lying ass that you would come to him and if he approached you before you were ready he’d get more than just an arrow to his person. I may have said something else and there may or may not have been a weapon involved but it’s not important.”

“You didn’t have to threaten him but thank you.”

“You’d do the same for me.” Natasha replied.

“Nat, I miss him so much it hurts. I needed this last week to get my feelings sorted out and to figure out what I’m going to say to Phil once I finally work up the courage to go talk to him.” Clint let out a deep breath all the anger he felt went out with it. “I think being angry is what got me where I needed to be, because I finally know what I’m going to say. And after our meeting with the director, I’m going to find him yell at him for a bit then tell him he better start thinking up ways to make up for all of this and that he has a long road ahead for me to start trusting him again.”

“Going to make him crawl are you?”

“Yes and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.” Clint smirked as he went to knock on the director’s door.

The door in question happened to open before that and the Director stood there staring down at two of his top assets. “Sorting out your love life can wait until after this mission Agent Barton. Now if the two of you could please take a seat we need to discuss an urgent matter.”

Clint and Natasha went passed the Director, one blushing while the other looked like the cat that got the canary.

“I have a job in Budapest that needs to be taken care of quickly and discretely.” Fury started as he sat down. “It’s not an official job so only the two of you would be going and nobody except the three of us can know any detailed information about this mission. Also, before you choose to either except or deny this mission you should know it’s involves Felix Hotlzmann.”

The colour left Clint’s face as he sat up. “That’s impossible! I killed Holtzmann myself nearly two years ago.”

“Either you missed or the one you killed wasn’t Holtzmann but a stand in.”

“A stand in clearly, I never miss.” Clint frowned, thinking back to that day. “I would swear though, the man I killed that day was Holtzmann.”

“Are you one hundred percent certain you killed him?” Fury asked him. “I would consult to the after mission brief but you and I both know that what Coulson told me that day was complete bullshit.”

Clint blushed again as he had forgotten about the fact that he and Phil had lied to the Director when reporting what had happened to Holtzmann.

“I take it that is why this mission is unofficial.”

“You’d be correct Agent Romanoff. We need to make sure that the people higher up than myself never find out what happened in the original mission as it was those people who wanted Holtzmann brought in alive.” Fury told them. “Thankfully, it was an informant of mine who brought me the evidence that Holtzmann is alive and most of that evidence has been taken care of except for Holtzmann.”

Clint snorted at that. “How sure are you on this informant?”

“The proof he brought is valid and the man would be very stupid to try a fuck with me. But don’t worry about him, I’ll handle it if anything goes wrong. Just concentrate on Holtzmann; I don’t want him breathing by the time this week is up.” Fury stood up and then passed them a notepad. “Everything you need to know is written in there. I took the liberty of stowing away your gear in one of the agency’s jeeps. You’ll find the keys and directions to a hanger just outside the city.”

“Director, won’t out handlers wonder where we’ve disappeared to?” Clint asked, just before he left the office.

“Agent Hill knows better than to ask questions and Agent Coulson requested and was approved this week off. Now hurry along, you both have a jet to steal.” 


	14. Chapter 14

While Clint was flying a stolen jet over the Atlantic Ocean, Phil was sitting in the kitchen of the place he called home for the last three years waiting for his wife to get home. He spent his evenings the week before packing up what few belongings he owned and moving them over to an apartment he was renting close to the office. The message that Liz had left on the voicemail said that her flight was landing at eleven so when he got home from work she would be there. So Phil arrived at the apartment at noon and spent some time cleaning it as Liz had been in Boston for the last three months and since Italy, Phil was only here to do laundry as most nights were spent either in Clint’s bed or on the couch in his office. Now he was sitting and staring at the envelope that laid on the table before him, still debating on what to say to the woman he had been married to for almost three years. Telling Clint, while one of the hardest things he’s ever done, had been easy because the only thing there had been to say was the truth. He told Clint the truth and prayed loudly every spare second of every day since that Clint would forgive him and would still love and have him after all this. With Liz, he debated on what to say to her, the truth or some flimsy excuse? Either come out and say, I’ve been having an affair for the last ten months and sorry honey it’s been a grand few years but I’ve decided to stay with my super sexy lover, obviously not worded that way but he knew that’s how she would hear it. Phil sighed and stood as he heard the key in the lock. Or he could tell her that he knew about the offer that the Boston hospital had offered and believes she should take it but he couldn’t go with her as his life was in New York, which was partially the truth.

“Phil, what a complete surprise, what are you doing home from work?”

Picking up the envelope, Phil stood and turned to face his soon to be ex-wife. “I need to talk to you about something Elizabeth.” And proceeded to do what he had unfortunately become an expert at, he lied.

* * *

Director Fury was a man who was rarely surprised. He had complete profiles on all the people who worked in this building and remembered each of them by name. He was also very away of who slept with who and as long as it never interfered with the performance of either party he never commented. Fury was also the first to know if someone’s marriage status was changed so he knew that one of his second in command’s had gotten married a few years back. So when he overheard agents Barton and Romanoff talking about Barton’s lover he wonder afterwards if it was the Phil who worked in the weapons department or the technician who started a few months back or there was the possibility this was someone who didn’t work here but Fury was doubtful of that. Not once did it cross his mind that it could be his second in command, Agent Coulson who was Agent Barton’s lover.

Fury had just gotten off the phone with the lead agent at one of the small hangers located around the city, who had called to report that a jet had somehow disappeared when his office door was slammed opened and then shut in the same manner. “Agent Coulson, you’re supposed to be on your requested leave. What brings you into the office today?”

Phil’s clenched a piece of paper in his hand as he strode up to the Director’s desk. “I want to know where Clin… Agent Barton is.”

Fury raised his eyebrow as he took in his second’s appearance. “Why don’t you sit down before you fall down and tell me why you came charging in my office.”

Phil snarled but complied as he wasn’t sure how much longer his legs could hold him up. “I was looking for Agent Barton, he wasn’t home so I came here and someone mentioned seeing him go into my office and I found this note he left for me. So now, I would like to know where he is. Sir.”

Fury frowned at the piece of paper that Coulson had waved around. “Agent Barton along with Romanoff, are currently on a need-to-know mission, one that you don’t need to know. Now Coulson tell me why you are looking for Barton.”

Phil opened his mouth then closed it again which clenching and unclenching his fist around the note.

Fury frowned at the signs of nervousness the agent before him was showing, Agent Coulson was always a man who never let it show what he was thinking or feeling. That’s when he realized, this wasn’t Agent Coulson sitting before him. “Phil, as your friend please let me know what’s going on. You haven’t really been yourself these last few months.”

Phil glanced up at Fury and then back down at his hands before he was up and pacing. “I was just at the court house getting my divorced papers finalized and making it official.”

“I see, I’m sorry to hear your marriage didn’t work out. Is that what has you so upset?” Fury was now curious as to what Agent Barton had to do with all of this.

“You’re not even surprised that I was married, but right, you’re the Director so I’m sure you knew about it before the ink dried on my marriage licence.” Phil laughed to himself as he dropped back down in the chair. “No, I’m not upset at all, matter of fact I’m the one who requested the divorce. I told Liz it was because of our jobs and that we had grown apart.”

“I’m going to assume here that this wasn’t the case.”

“No it’s not the reason why I ended my marriage.” Phil sighed and looked up at Fury. “Ten months ago I began having an affair with someone in this office, only they didn’t know it was an affair as I never mentioned that I was married until about a week ago.”

“I take it that conversation didn’t go over very well.” Fury replied, even as he tried thinking of who the other person in the affair could be.

Phil cleared his throat. “No it didn’t, he threated to shoot me in the ass if I didn’t leave his apartment.”

Well, Fury thought; that narrows it down a bit. “Not a fun place to have a bullet removed.”

“Not a bullet sir, an arrow.”

No, Nick Fury was defiantly not a man often surprised, but hearing Phil Coulson say that he had divorced his wife to be with the man he had been having an affair with had caught him off guard and when Phil had all but announced that the man in question was Clint Barton, well that had surprised the hell out of Fury. “So you’re the Phil they were talking about that day.”

“Sir?”

“Barton and Romanoff were discussing a Phil before I pulled them into my office for their mission. It never crossed my mind that it was you.” Fury laughed. “You can relax in that one department, looks like Barton has decided to forgive you, though I think it will be awhile before he completely trusts you again.”

“That’s what his note indicates; it’s why I was looking for him.”

Knowing the man in front of him wouldn’t give in until he had his answers; Fury gave Phil the answers he was looking for. “Their taking care of an old friend of ours, one Barton thought he killed almost two years ago during your first mission together.”

“Holtzmann is still alive? That’s impossible, Barton said he killed him and I’ve never seen him miss.” Phil frowned. “Unless… Holtzmann was worried enough to have a double in place. We assumed the man wouldn’t be smart enough to think we’d be back so soon.”

“Agent Barton thought the same thing. I sent Barton and Romanoff unofficially, there will be no trace of this mission anywhere and nobody can hear word of it. The request two years ago for Holtzmann to be brought in alive didn’t come from me.”

“Which is way you never demand the real report on what happened, I often wondered about that.”

“The higher ups wanted this man alive and I didn’t think it was for him to face justice for his actions against humanity. I believe it’s because he designs and builds a good number of his weapons, designs which I am told are kept locked away in Holtzmann’s mind to ensure nobody tries to remove and replace him.”

Phil frowned over this information, the first time he was hearing most of this. “Sir, we were always of the assumption that this man was a simple arms dealer but now I’m thinking he’s more of a mastermind. Did you give Barton and Romanoff this information?”

“Yes, I gave them everything I was told and what I had dug up. This man is no dumb criminal and he managed to stay hidden from us for a very long time. Even the evidence of weapon movement was never brought forward. I gave Barton and Romanoff until the end of the week to carry out their mission.”

Phil knew that he wouldn’t be getting any more out of the Director and that he had to word his last question carefully. “They’re in Budapest aren’t they?”

Fury just gave a quick nod before picking up a file. “I’m busy Agent, so unless there is anything else?”

“No thank you sir.” Phil stood up to leave. “Also I’m cutting my holiday short again, so I’ll be in my office if you need anything.” Once he reached his office, Phil placed the note Clint had left on the desk in front of him. It was a short note that had been quickly scribbled out at the last moment. It simply said: _I love you enough to forgive you and being angry at you is just too damn hard. Miss you and we will talk when I get back_. He then tucked the note safely into his wallet and started up his computer, where he sat for the next few days waiting. When the week turned into the weekend, he found himself more distracted and unable to concentrate and half way through week two a worried Agent Hill walked into his office.

“Director Fury just told me about the mission he sent both our agents on. It seems they were supposed to be back now and no attempt at contacting the base has been made. Do you think something’s gone wrong?”

“I know something has gone wrong, I feel it in my gut.” Phil replied.

“Well there has to be something we can do, I can’t allow one of the best agent’s I’ve worked with to end up as MIA on some unofficial mission. With their prior records, the big wigs are going to think they’ve defected and would most likely order them wiped out of the agency.”

“Don’t worry, that won’t be happening.” Phil told her as he stood up and removed his tie. “Because we’re going to go into Budapest and pull them out of there, you can fly one of those jets correct? We need to make this an unofficial rescue.”

“Yes I can, actually Fury just happened to mention a jet being prepped for a trip to Russia that leaves in forty minutes.”

“Excellent, if we take it now they’ll still have time to prepare a replacement jet.”

“Coulson, there’s been a few rumors going around about you and Barton lately. I’m not in the business to pry in my co-workers personal lives nor do I care what they do with their free time. Just remember that you need to do this rescue mission with your head not your heart or we won’t succeed.”

“Don’t worry Hill; I plan on carrying out this rescue mission as an Agent and not as a worried and enraged lover.”


	15. Chapter 15

Natasha jolted awake and quickly cursed herself for falling asleep. The noise that woke her was that of the men bringing Clint back to their shared cell. Not until the men had left did she rush to her partner’s side. Natasha swallowed the outrage cry as she took in the sight of her friend. Since their capture several days ago they had both been taken at different times and tortured for information. It seems that their reputations precede them and it was already know by these men that they had captured the Black Widow and Hawkeye. For whatever reason this group didn’t go with the assumption that she being a female would be the weaker one and took Clint more often. For the first time in her life, Natasha was scared of what would happen to Clint if they didn’t get out of here soon. He hadn’t said anything to her but she knew her partner well enough and knew that he’d been fighting the flu on and off for the last few months and being stuck in this place was making it worse. Natasha feared that neither one of them would be getting out of here alive but she pushed those thoughts down and tended to Clint as best as she could. She reset what broken bones she could find, these men enjoyed breaking his fingers over and over again, and reset his shoulder. Thankfully he woke up after she was done all of this. “Easy, here drink some water.”

With her help, Clint was able to drink a small amount of water before waving her off. “This isn’t how I imagined this week going but at least I’m in good company.”

“Well that’s something then. Don’t worry thought, I’m working on a plan to get out of here just need a little more time to hash out some details.”

“Nat, you and I both know there is no way I can walk out of this one.” Clint told her as he glanced down at the leg they had taken pleasure in breaking the other day.

“You can and will be getting out of here, even if I have to carry you out myself, which we both know I can.”

“Doing that will just slow you down.”

“We have two options Barton, one we escape together or two we die down here together. Either way, I’m not leaving your side so pick an option.”

“Shit, help me up.” Clint said, as he felt the familiar burn in the back of his throat.

Natasha quickly propped him up and placed the bucket on his lap, rubbing his back as the water and small bits of food from earlier came up. When he was done, she pushed the bucket to the side and continued to rub his back. “How long have you been getting sick like this?”

“I don’t know what…” Clint’s voice trailed off as he caught the look he was being given. “I’m not sure, a couple of months I guess. I was thinking of going to the agency’s doctors but then there was the thing with Phil and I forgot all about. Don’t worry Nat, I’m fine. Now, let’s hear about this plan of yours, I’ve become board of the scenery here plus there is a man out there who has a date with one of my arrows and I’d hate to delay it any longer.”

* * *

Upon arriving in Budapest, Phil and Maria were quick to secure a safe house as close to where Holtzmann home was located as they possible could. In a matter of a few hours they had learned from a few of the locals that something had gone down at the compound a week back but it was widely believed that whoever was responsible had gotten away as no arrests had been made and the police were no longer investigating as the trail had ran cold and the owner had insisted he didn’t plan to press charges.

Phil thanked the older couple for their time and turned back to where Maria stood. They pair had decided to pose as a couple on holidays in order to move more freely around Budapest and to not alert people to the fact that a couple of USA government agents were poking around.

“What do we think? Holtzmann somehow managed to get the drop on both the Black Widow and Hawkeye and captured them?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking happened.” Phil replied. “Though I’m not sure how that would have been possible, unless somehow Holtzmann knew they were coming.”

“Only three people knew about this mission, and we know Fury wouldn’t sell out his own agents.”

“No, but someone had to tell Fury that Holtzmann was still alive and I’m will to bet that this man might have let something slip before he got to Fury. We have no way of knowing for sure but I’ll be recommending that Fury not use that informant again.”

Maria glanced at the compound over her shoulder as they stopped to look at something set up for tourists. “Phil, there is no way Holtzmann would be keeping them prisoners in his home where his wife and kids sleep.”

“No, he most likely has them secured in a secondary location.” Phil replied. “I’m willing to guess it will be the same place he’s using to manufacture weapons here in Budapest.”

Maria nodded as they began moving again, slowly mingling in with a tourist group. “Phil, how do we know if they are still alive?”

“My heart knows.” Phil answered as they slipped away from the group to the safe house.

The plan to locate Holtzmann’s secondary location was simple; all they had to do was follow Holtzmann when he finally left the compound he would hopefully lead them to where they wanted to go. Then it was just a matter of figuring out where the two missing agents were being held and then extracting them. Thankfully they didn’t have to wait long as the next morning Holtzmann along with his second in command were on the move. It didn’t surprise them that he led them to the industrialized section of the city as to run an operation as large as he did, Holtzmann would need a fair sized factory.

“Can we get any specs on this building?” Phil asked, as he studied the building through the binoculars.

Maria had pulled out the laptop as soon as they realized which building was Holtzmann’s. “So far I’m not having any luck. All of the factories in this section of the district were all built in the early nineteen hundreds but according to what I found there is a series of sewer systems that runs all through this area. That might be the easiest way for us to get in and out of this place.”

“Sounds good, locate us the nearest sewer access point to the factory and then we will hide the jeep nearby. I don’t want to make them wait any longer.”


	16. Chapter 16

“The guards here are amateurs, which will make this all the more fun and easier.”

“They do rotation changes at the same time everyday do they?”

“Like clockwork.” Natasha smirked as she leaned against the bars. “They seem to think grabbing us at different times of the day would throw us off.”

“Don’t know the Black Widow very well.” Clint chuckled from his place on the bed. “It’s a pity the idiots won’t learn from their mistakes.”

“No, but they will pay for them.” Natasha watched as the guards approached the cell. Two stood outside while two came in and each grabbed her by the arms. Now, she thought, the fun truly begins. “Just wait here for me darling, I’ll be right back.”

Clint just waved and chuckled as he took in the dumb and confused looks on all the poor bastards faces, they wouldn’t even know what had hit them. Clint sat up in the bed as his stomach once again began to churn regardless of the fact that he hadn’t had anything to eat in almost twenty-four hours. Clint glanced up when Natasha came up to the cell by herself and smiled when he noticed what she was holding. “You took out all the guards and found our weapons in less than four minutes, I’m impressed. That has to be a new personal best for you.”

“Yes, all things considered I think this plan is going off to a lovely start and I have even better news.”

“Oh, what’s that?” Clint asked, as Natasha helped him out of the cell.

“Apparently the boss is in the office today.”

“Well, that was good of him to time his visit so nicely. We really should go by his office and thank him for his hospitality before we leave. It would be rude of us to leave and not say goodbye.”

“My thoughts exactly, now let’s just save time and take the elevator no point in tiring you out if we don’t have to.”

* * *

The sewers beneath the industrial site were like a giant maze and it was almost tempting to mark the walls as they went but couldn’t take the chance of leaving a trail for the bad guys to follow. It took ten minutes of navigating before they arrived at the access point they wanted. The basement of the factory was mostly empty and that included the cell that they found. The smell was awful and the amount of blood on the floor and soaked in the bed had fear dancing in Phil’s belly. But they soon found something that put him in better spirits.

Maria leaned down and checked for a pulse on the first guy they reached. “He’s dead, and I’m willing to bet they all are.”

Phil nodded as he looked around counting at least six dead guards in this hallway. “They all got taken out by the Widow.” The followed the path of bodies and came upon a fork in the hallway. “Which way should we go?”

Maria walked down to the left a bit and then came back. “Looks like an exit that way so knowing our agents they went the other way.”

Phil nodded in agreement and they slowly made their way down the hallway and unsurprisingly found two more dead men and beyond them there was an elevator and another hallway. “There’s blood on the elevator button.” Phil remarked as he pushed the button.

“Is that wise, talking the elevator?” Maria asked ask she glanced back and forth between the two hallways.

“All of those men back there were killed by Natasha, these two were killed by Clint which leads me to believe that he’s most likely has had a bad injury to one of his legs. It would be easier to find them if we follow their exact path.” Walking into the elevator, Phil pushed the button for the third floor and wiped the blood off his thumb. “I’m not sure how much of head start they have but it can’t be much of one.”

“If the alarm hasn’t been sounded yet it soon will be.” Maria replied. “Let’s just hope we can find them before that happens.”

“Yeah, don’t think that’s going to be possible. Maybe we should have taken the stairs?”

Maria just shot him a look as the both dropped their guns at the demands of the guard before them before they were dragged out of the elevator an escorted down the long hallway.

* * *

“I’m not moving on him until I know for sure this is actually Holtzmann. I’m not wasting another bloody arrow on some damn decoy.”

“Yes, well we don’t really have all day to sit here; they most likely know we’ve escaped by now.”

“Just give me a few minutes.” Clint told her as he studied the video feed from the main office.

Natasha opened her mouth to inform Clint that he had more than enough time when the radio on the down guards came to life.

“We caught the Widow and Hawk in the elevator, should we throw them back in the cell?”

“No the boss wants to see them, bring them to his office.”

“What the hell?” Clint quickly flipped through the video feed before finding the one he was looking for.

“Is that Agents Coulson and Hill?” Natasha asked, shocked to see both their handlers on the screen.

“Yes it is looks like Fury was wrong when he said our handler’s wouldn’t ask any questions.” Clint switched the camera back to the main office as that’s where the guards were taking them.

Natasha was pretty sure that wasn’t what happened but she wasn’t going to voice her thoughts. “Well, this could be what we are waiting for”

“What do you mean?”

“Even though we didn’t personally see him there is no way that Holtzmann doesn’t know what we look like. So if this is actually Holtzmann then he should react at seeing our handlers.”

“That’s brilliant Nat.” Clint got up and grabbed the radios of the dead men, passing one to her. “I’m going to crawl through the vents and get into position. Let me know if it’s him or not.”

“Just be careful, once you take your shot they’ll know where you’re located.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know you’ll have my back. Think you could give me a lift up?”

“You need to go on a diet when we get back home; you’ve put on some weight since the last time I had to carry you.” Natasha told him once he was in the vent.

Clint just threw out a finger before moving in the direction of Holtzmann’s office.

* * *

Knowing that Clint and Natasha hadn’t been caught yet lifted the weight off his chest but it was only a matter of time before they came across someone who knew what their prisoners actually looked like. Phil shared a glance with Maria when they heard the order to take them to see the boss. They were both dead the moment Holtzmann laid eyes on them. The guards lead the pair down the hall to an office at the end of it and forced them on their knees before the man standing in front of the desk.

“My men tell me you both refuse to tell us which organization sent you here to try and shut down my operation.” Holtzmann started. “I thought I would give you both one last chance to tell me what I need to know so I may send your bodies to the proper place, so… which one of you would like to go first?”

All of a sudden a commotion out in the hallway broke out and before either agent could get a word out the door flew open and one of the guards flew into the room. “Sir, the Widow is coming this way.”

“What? Who the hell is this then?” Holtzmann asked as he pointed his gun to Maria’s head.

“Well, we were supposed to be the rescue party but that didn’t really work out so well for us, did it?” Phil asked, asked as looked over at Maria his mind quickly trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

“Not really our best work I agree, but it worked out in the end.”

“Not for you it won’t.” Holtzmann snarled as he went to pull the trigger but was dead before he could.

“So, is this a new rescue mission plan that you two are working on?” Natasha asked as she helped her handler up.

“Our plan was to distract them long enough for you two to do what you needed to do.” Maria informed her.

“Where’s Clint?” Phil asked as they rushed out of the office.

“Don’t worry he’s fine. He’s taking care of the real Holtzmann.” Natasha answered as she tossed a couple of the fallen guard’s guns to the two agents.

“Shouldn’t surprise me you two figured it out already.” Phil said, as he checked the gun.

“I was watching the video feed when they brought you both into Holtzmann’s office. So we knew right away that it wasn’t the real Holtzmann. Though, you would have thought the fact that neither one of you are injured would have given it away.” Natasha said as she glanced around the corner and nodded that it was clear. “When I told Clint it wasn’t him he asked where his second in command was located and that’s when we figured it out.”

“I don’t understand, figured out what?” Maria asked, as they cleared the third floor.

“The second in command is Holtzmann.” Phil said, as they ran down the stairs. “Most likely has been since day one.”

“That’s brilliant.” Maria commented as they reached the basement.

“I always thought so.”

Natasha cursed softly in Russian as they were quickly surrounded by ten guards and before them stood Felix Holtzmann.

“I was surprised that when you and the Hawk got free you didn’t try and escape. Pity, you might have lived if you had done that. True agents to then end though, must carry out the mission no matter the cost.” Holtzmann smirked. “Of course I still have no idea which of your government agencies you work for; I do know you are American agents. So I suppose I could simply send you all home in pieces to the different agencies and let them figure out where you belong.”

“You’ll be dead before this day is up.” Natasha snarled.

“What? Killed by a Hawk with a broken leg?” Holtzmann laughed as he turned to walk away. “I don’t think so. Kill them.”

“Wait, there’s one last thing you need to know.” Natasha yelled.

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“Hawk’s don’t walk they fly so you should always look up.” Natasha smirked.

Holtzmann frowned and turned his head to look up just in time to receive an arrow through his eye. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So heads up this is the start of the MPreg!

_Twenty-four hours later_

Dr. Michaels frowned as he stared at the blood test results of his latest patient. “This can’t be right; someone must have mixed these up.”

“I double checked the blood type Doctor and the blood type on the results match his. That test was done based on his blood.”

Dr. Michaels continued to frown over this information. “We may have to put this man through extensive emergency surgery but we can’t take any chances with these results. Let’s hurry up and do an ultrasound.”

The nurse nodded and then quickly went to retrieve the proper equipment.

Walking into the room where his current patient was located, Dr. Michaels wasn’t surprised to see the patient who was supposed to be getting some rest in her room down the hall, sitting with the two handlers but he was surprised to see the Director standing by the window.

“Dr. Michaels, what can you tell us.” Fury asked, as he was the first to notice the doctor’s arrival.

“Agent Barton’s left leg was broken but Agent Romanoff did an amazing job at re-setting the bone so all we will have to do is put a cast on it. Also, despite using his bow his fingers already seem to be healing. My main concern is the bullet that’s lodged into the base of his spine and it the reason we have him in a medical induced coma. Now, normally we would do an X-ray so we can see where the bullet is sitting, but Barton’s blood test results have me hesitate to do that.”

“What could have possibly shown up in his blood work that you don’t want to use an X-ray machine?” Phil asked, as he frowned up at the doctor.

“There are a few inconsistences that just don’t add up. I was actually wanting to inquiry about Agent Barton’s health of late.”

“He’s had the stomach flu on and off for the last few months.” Natasha pointed out.

“Clint has also gotten easily tired lately.” Phil added.

“I see, interesting.” Michaels muttered to himself as he jotted a few notes down. “Now I have a rather personal question to ask, is either one of you able to answer it?”

“Why don’t the rest of us step out of the room and Agent Coulson can answer any of your remaining questions.” Director Fury said.

“Excellent idea, you can go back to your bed and rest a bit.” Maria said as she helped Natasha to her feet.

Once the door was shut, Dr. Michaels turned back to the bed. “Agent Coulson…”

“Please doctor, you can drop the titles and just use our names.”

“Alright then, Phil. Do you happen to know if Clint’s currently in a relationship or not?” Michaels asked as he glanced back down at his file.

“Yes, he’s currently in a relationship.”

“Okay, do you happen to have a number so that we can contact his partner? There is some news I have that could affect them both.”

“You don’t have to contact anyone.” Phil replied.

Dr. Michaels looked back up and for the first time noticed that Phil’s hand was lightly clutching that of his patient. “I’ll make sure to update his medical file, and yours.”

“Thank you.”

“Dr. Michaels, here is the ultrasound machine you requested.” The nurse said as she walked it up to the bed.

“Thank you. Jessica could you please go down the hall and make sure that the patient in room five is actually in the bed.”

“Of course doctor.”

Phil watched as the doctor went about turning on the machine and pushed it closer to the bed. “Doctor, why would you need to use an ultrasound machine?”

“Can you please pull the sheet down to Clint’s waist?” Michaels asked as he started to adjust the machine and ignored the agent’s question. Once he was sure he had the proper adjustments, he grabbed the gel and squirted some on Clint’s abdomen before grabbing the transducer and moving it along where he had put the gel while keeping his eye on the monitor.

Phil also kept his eye on the monitor, his hand tightening over Clint’s as he listened to the doctor mutter to himself.

“Well I’ll be damned.”

“What, what is it?” Phil asked in a panic.

“You see this right here?” Michaels asked as he pointed to a bright white circle.

Phil sat forward to study the image appearing on the screen and quickly realized what he was seeing. “Is that… is that a head?”

“Yes, and here we have a body, two sets of arms and legs.” Dr. Michaels moved the transducer as he spoke. “It’s been awhile since I’ve done this but if I were to guess I’d say the fetus is about elven weeks along and it’s a girl if I’m not mistaken.”

“How is this possible?” Phil mumbled as he continued to stare at the image in disbelief.

“Male pregnancies are extremely rare but not unheard of.” Michaels replied.

“How will the surgery to remove the bullet affect the fetus?” Phil asked as the realization came to him that he could lose more than just his lover.

“We will monitor both of them during the surgery and as long as it goes as planned it should be fine.” Dr. Michaels answered. “But we need to get moving on this; the longer we wait the more dangerous it will be for both Clint and the fetus. I’m going to have the nurses take Clint to prep him for the surgery and you’ll need to sign off allowing us to do this procedure.”

Phil nodded his head, his voice failing him for once.

“Why don’t you go and wait with the others in room five, as soon as the surgery is done and we move him into recovery I’ll come and grab you myself and let you know how it went.”

“Yes, thank you doctor.” Phil croaked out. “Please take good care of them, their all I have.”

“You have my word, I’ll do my best.”

“I love you.” Phil mumbled into Clint’s ear as he leaned down to kiss him. Phil felt like he was walking in a fog as he went out of the room and down the hall. He felt someone grab his arm and pull him down in a chair. “Thank you.”

“Are they taking him into surgery now?” Fury asked, as he settled back into his chair next to Maria.

Phil nodded in response still not fully trusting his voice. His mind was flashing back to those final minutes at the factory, when Clint had been shot by a bullet that was meant for him.

“Stop beating yourself up over what happened; Clint getting shot is not your fault.” Natasha leaned forward and took Phil’s hand in hers. “He wouldn’t want you to beat yourself up over it.”

“She right you know, and Clint is tough he’ll pull through this just fine and be back terrorizing the rookies in no time.” Maria added.

Phil smiled up at them gratefully, he debated on whether to tell them or not and decided it would be best to wait. He didn’t want to announce anything without Clint at his side. Phil closed his eyes for just a moment but before he knew it he was asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Clint woke up suddenly and painfully. He sat up as he tried to stop himself from gagging on the tube down his throat. When that didn’t work he grabbed the part covering his face and pulled, hard. The movement caused him to flinch badly enough to send a shocking pain up his leg and into his spine. Clint tossed the tube to the floor as was fighting to get his breathing under control when the door to his room suddenly opened.

Phil dropped the coffee he had in his hand and rushed to the other man’s side. “Easy Clint, nice slow breaths, there you go.” Phil said as he easy slid onto the bed and began rubbing Clint’s back.

“Phil, what happened?” Clint asked as he leaned back into his lover’s arms.      

“What do you remember?”

“Well the last thing I remember was killing Holtzmann and then everything after that is a bit fuzzy.”

“You got shot in the back, just at the base of your spine. You jumped in front of a bullet that was meant for me.”

“That sounds like something I’d do.”

“Yes, well thankfully the doctor was able to successfully remove the bullet and there was no permanent damage done. Dr. Michaels believes it will heal nicely along with your leg, and your fingers have all healed as well.” Phil told him.

Clint glanced down at his fingers cringing at how painful it had been to use his bow with his fingers broken. “How long have I been out for?” Clint finally asked as he glanced up again.

“You’ve been in a coma for four weeks. The doctors had to put you into a medical coma when you arrived here because of where the bullet was located.” Phil rubbed at his eyes. “Dr. Michaels was expecting you to wake up within a few days after the surgery but he reassured me that your body just needed more time to heal and there was no reason why you wouldn’t wake up.”

“I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Don’t be, you’re awake now and that’s all that matters. How are you feeling?”

“I’m a little sore; I might have tugged at some of my stiches flying up in bed like I did.” Clint’s thoughts were going a million miles a minute as he rubbed his stomach, which was slightly larger than he remembered it being. Clint jumped slightly as he felt a slight flutter under his hand.

“Clint?” Phil asked worriedly. “Are you having any pain there?”

Clint titled his head and studied Phil, the man looked and sounded absolutely terrified. He felt another but stronger flutter that felt like he had butterflies in his stomach. For some reason he was remind of a conversation he had with Agent Donavan a few months after she announced she was pregnant. And with that, Clint’s train of thought came to a screeching halt. “I’m crazy aren’t I? Yes, I’m crazy as there is no way that this is possible… is there?”

Phil smiled as he laid his hand over Clint’s. “You tell me.”

“I’m pregnant aren’t I?” Clint asked, getting confirmation from the look on Phil’s face. “Holy shit I’m pregnant. How is this possible?”

“Dr. Michaels did another ultrasound after the surgery and while he’s still not sure how it’s possible but you have all the working parts needed to carry a baby.” Phil told him.

Clint turned his hand over and gripped Phil’s, doubt was starting to flood his mind. “Phil…”

“Before you say anything there are a few things I need to tell you. The day you left for Budapest I finally told Elizabeth I wanted a divorce. When we married she kept her maiden name and we left everything in separate accounts so it was just a matter of signing a piece of paper. I never told her about you because truthfully for me, my marriage was over before our relationship started.” Phil paused before looking down at their joint hands. “I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you like I did and I knew from the start that what I was doing was wrong but I… I realize now that our first night together I needed you just as much as you needed me, maybe even more.”

“Phil.” Clint bit his bottom lip; he wasn’t quite ready to talk about that subject quite yet. “Just how did you and Agent Hill end up in Budapest?”

“After getting the divorce papers finalized at the court house I realized that I couldn’t go another day without talking to you, regardless of Natasha’s threats which she explained to me in great detail, I might add.” Phil shook his head slightly. “Anyways, I tried your apartment before coming here and I found your note in my office right away. That’s when I stormed into the Director’s office to demand he tell me where you were.”

“You stormed into the Directors office?” Clint snorted. “The man didn’t think you or Hill would ask about our whereabouts. Is he the one who sent you both to rescue us?”

“Oh no, we stole a jet to come rescue you both in Budapest, though Maria did say that he’s the one who mentioned a jet being ready for a mission to Russia.”

“Impressive. Wait, does this mean… does Fury know and how much does he know?” Clint asked. “Are we still allowed to be partners?”

“He knows about our relationship and other then the two of us, Dr. Michaels and his team are the only ones who knows about the baby and yes we are still partners, as long as we remain professional on the field.” Phil told him. “That reminds me; Fury said you and Natasha were discussing me before your meeting with him.”

Clint blushed at the reminder of the Director telling him he could sort his love life out after the mission. “I was telling Nat how much I missed you and that being angry at you helped me figure out what I was going to say to you and then after I was going to let you make it up to me.”

“Oh, and what were you going to say to me?”

“That I love you and I don’t want to live my life without you but if you ever lied to me again or ever cheated on me I would have to kill you, slowly and obviously painfully and they would never find your body. Also I’m still not sure if I can ever fully trust you again.” Clint told him honestly.

“Fair enough, well I should tell you that I plan on spending the rest of my life making it up to you and re-earning your trust. I wish I could promise that I will never hurt you again but I can’t, just know that I will never lie to you again or cheat on you.” Phil placed his hand on the swell of Clint’s belly. “The love I have for you and that of our unborn child is nothing I’ve felt before and that love grows stronger every day. I nearly lost both of you and that scared me more than anything. I know our jobs aren’t the ideal one for raising children but together we can make it work.”

“Children?”

“Well, we don’t want our daughter to be an only child.”

“Our daughter… we’re having a girl.” Clint smiled as he looked back down at his belly. “No, she should have younger siblings. Phil, this won’t be easy. I haven’t the slightest clue on what family is supposed to be like and I defiantly have no idea on how to raise and care for another human being.”

“I know neither one of us grew up with the greatest examples of family but the two of us together can give our daughter the childhood we never had. Yes we will make mistakes along the way but that’s all part of parenthood.”

“Parents.” Clint smiled as he said the word before looking at Phil. “One question, what does this mean for our relationship, I mean are we lovers who just happened to have a child together?”

“Just being your lover isn’t enough for me anymore and it hasn’t been for some time. I know I just got divorced but this isn’t something that has to happen right away.”

“Phil, what are you saying?”

“Clint Barton, will you marry me?”

Clint’s mouth dropped open and he simply stared at Phil for a moment before smiling. “Well, Clint Barton-Coulson does have a nice ring to it.”

“Is that a yes?”

“It will always be yes.” Clint told him before leaning over and kissing Phil.


	19. Chapter 19

Natasha arrived a few hours after Clint had woken up. She placed a kiss on Phil’s cheek before climbing in next to Clint and throwing her arms around him. “Scare me like that again and I’ll kill you.”

“Love you too Natasha.” Clint replied as he returned the embrace.

“How are you feeling? You look amazing for someone who just woke up from a four week coma.” Natasha told him as she pulled back and studied him.

“I feel amazing.” Clint smiled as he grasped his friend’s hands. “Natasha, there’s something we have to tell you.”

“What is it?” Natasha glanced up as Phil stepped up to the other side of the bed and placed his hands on Clint’s shoulders.

“I’m not really sure how to say this as even after seeing the proof I’m still in some kind of state of disbelief.” Clint told her as he looked at Phil then back to his friend. “I’m pregnant Nat.”

“What?” Natasha tightened her grip. “Are you serious? You better not be joking right now.”

“No I’m serious.” Clint laughed happily. “I just got to see her with the ultrasound; I’m about fifteen weeks along.”

“Holy shit.” Natasha squealed as she bounced slightly. “This is just… wow I can’t believe it!”

“I thought I was losing my mind when I woke up and could feel her moving but Phil confirmed it, said the doctor found out before my surgery.”

“I told you I thought you’d put more weight on.” Natasha reached down and light stroked her friend’s belly. “So you’re having a little girl?”

“Yes actually we wanted to ask you something Natasha.” Phil said as he took Clint’s hand in his.

“What is it?”

“Well, we know it’s early still but since we already know it’s a baby girl we are hoping to call her Tasha, after her Godmother, if that’s okay.”

“It’s better than okay, I’d be honored.” Natasha hugged Clint before climbing out of bed and going to Phil and pulling him into a hug. “Congratulations Daddies.”

“Thanks Natasha.” Phil smiled as squeezed Clint’s hand. “We’re pretty excited.”

“Well, just know that even if you are one of the fathers to my Godchild, I will hurt you if you hurt either of them.”

“Nat!” Clint scowled. “Don’t threaten my fiancé.”

“You’re the only friend I have and he already hurt you once and I just want to… wait, what did you call him?”

“I asked Clint to marry me and since he can’t live without me he said yes and I promise if I ever hurt either one of them I’ll let you.” Phil told her.

“Phil!” Clint frowned at both of them.

“Shut up, your fiancé is clearly the smarter of the two in this relationship.” Natasha told him.

“Can’t argue with sound logic like that.” Phil laughed as a hand smacked the back of his head.

“I could always take back my yes.” Clint told him.

Phil cleared his throat and muttered. “Yes dear.”

“That’s cute.” Natasha grinned. “So what did the Director have to say when you told him?”

Phil started to answer when the man in question came walking into the room with Agent Hill.

“What the hell? Does the man just appear when people are talking about him?” Clint hissed quietly to Natasha then glared at her. “This is your fault.”

“Agent Barton, it’s good to finally see you awake.” Fury said as he stopped at the bed.

“Agent Romanoff, don’t you and Agent Hill have a mission to be getting to?”

“Yes that’s right; I just wanted to check on Clint before leaving.”

“It’s good to have you back with us Agent Barton.” Hill squeezed his hand before turning and following Natasha out of the room.

“Dr. Michaels reported to me that you’ve been healing quite nicely and now that you’re awake I’m sure a few more days and they’ll let you go home and I expect medical be the one to release you.” Fury told him. “The doctor wasn’t able to tell me when you could be cleared for field duty again. Actually the man muttered on about a pager and took off.”

“Actually Sir there is something we need to discuss.” Phil told him.

“We’ve already discussed that you will continue to be partners as long as you remain professional in both the field and at the office.”

“It’s not about that Sir; it’s actually regarding Clint being cleared for field duty.”

“Well?”

When Phil didn’t respond, Clint glanced up and wasn’t surprised to see that Phil appeared to be doing a thread count of his suit. Shaking his head he turned to look at the Director and quickly thought of smooth way to deliver this piece of news… “I’m pregnant, the baby is Phil’s obviously so yeah it will be awhile before I can go back into the field. You know, I haven’t eaten since I woke up and I’m really hungry, is there anything to eat in this place?"

“Why don’t I find out?” Phil asked as he headed towards the door. With any luck he’d get out of the room before the shock wore of the Director.

“Hold it right there Coulson, get your ass back over here.” Fury ordered.

Shit. Phil signed and came back to Clint’s side. “Look Sir, I can explain…”

“I don’t need the details Coulson I know how it works.” Fury said as he sat down in the chair. “What are you two planning on doing?”

Clint opened his mouth to speak before Phil quickly silenced him. “Might be best if I fill him in, don’t you think?”

“Now you want to do the talking.” Clint muttered as he crossed his arms, trying and failing to hide his smile.

Phil frowned slightly as he realized he had been played. Natasha had defiantly been wrong about who the smarter of the two in this relationship was. “Sir, first of all we plan on continuing our work for this agency but we do intend to get married and raise our daughter and hopefully her future siblings together. If you or anyone else has a problem with this, then you will have our resignations on your desk in less than twenty-four hours.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I told you last week that when it came down to the job and Clint it will always be Clint, no matter what.” Phil told him firmly as he wrapped his hand in Clint’s.

Fury nodded as he watched the two men silently for a few minutes. “If I see anything resembling a resignation from either one of you it will be destroyed and I’ll forget I ever saw it. I’m pulling you both off from the field immediately. When the time comes and you feel that you can go on missions again you can let me know and as always you’re free to pick and choose your own missions though there may still be times were your needed somewhere and you’ll go without argument. Does this sound reasonable for the both of you?”

“It does Sir, and thank you.” Phil replied as Clint nodded in agreement.

“I expect to have an invite to this wedding Phil.” Fury said pointedly as he quickly shifted from director to friend.

“Well Nick, the position for Best Man is still open and there is no one else I’d rather have then you.”

“I’d be honored.” Fury smiled as he stood up. “Well it looks like the idea of putting a daycare center is getting pushed forward. So much has changed in the last ten years. Take it easy Barton and I’ll talk to you two in six weeks.”

“Sir…”

“Don’t argue with me Barton, if you’d rather I could request that you be able to spend your six weeks leave in this room.” Fury threated as he left the room.

“Why don’t I go track down a nurse and see about getting you some food. Anything particular you want?”

“Surprise me. Phil will you right back or do you have work you have to finish off?”

“I’m also going to talk to Dr. Michaels about you going home tomorrow and then I’ll be right back.” Phil leaned down softly kissed Clint. “I love you, both of you.”

“We love you two.” Clint replied as he placed his hand on his belly. 


	20. Chapter 20

“So it’s against my better judgement letting you go home the day after you’ve woken up from a four week coma.”

“Don’t worry Doc, I promise to take it easy for the next little while. I’m sure Phil won’t even let me out of the bed for the first few days.” Clint reassured the doctor.

Dr. Michaels eyed his patient for a moment before taking a seat next to him on the bed. “I just need you to assure me that if anything feels amiss you’ll come see me immediately and if you can’t come to me I will come to you. I’ve already given Phil all of my contact numbers but I need you to tell me you understand this.”

“I understand Dr. Michaels, and don’t worry I won’t hesitate to contact you. The only thing I want is a healthy baby.” Clint frowned as he caught a look of concern cross the doctor’s face. “What is it?”

Dr. Michaels sighed and then looked Clint in the eye. “You know that male pregnancies are extremely rare, and when I say that I mean there has only been five cases recorded, well six now counting yours. Clint, you need to know that in those other cases, none of the babies made it to full term and three of those men died due to complications.”

Clint tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. “I take it you haven’t told Phil any of this.”

“I thought about telling him but decided at the time he didn’t need anything else to worry about. I’m telling you because you have the right to know.”

“Can you promise me something doctor?”

“What is it?”

“Promise me that no matter what happens you’ll never tell Phil about those statistics, at least not until after the baby is born.”

“It’s up to you if he knows or not, but I promise I won’t say a word, even if he has a gun to my head.”

“How long have you worked as a doctor here?”

“I’ve been here since the very beginning and yes Agent Coulson has held a gun to my head before and if I remember correctly it involved you.”

“What? When did this happen?”

“It was during the flight from Chad to the hospital in Italy.” Phil said as he walked into the room. “Though, it really was more of a waving motion and the gun was empty.”

“Somehow that’s still not very reassuring.” Dr. Michaels muttered.

“What were you doing in that part of the world?” Clint asked.

“I’m usually always close at hand when the agencies top assets go overseas.” Dr. Michaels explained. “But I’ve recently passed that over to another doctor and work from here on a full time basis.”

“For which, we are thankful for.” Phil told him before looking at Clint. “You ready to get out of here?”

“God yes, I mean… uh, no offence Doc.”

“None taken, I’m quite used to that.” Dr. Michaels laughed. “It’s just nice to be able to properly discharge you instead of having you sneak off on me.”

“Don’t worry Dr. Michaels the sneaking out business with Agents Barton and Romanoff have been put to a stop.” Phil assured him.

“That’s good to hear.” Dr. Michaels chuckled. “Now remember what I told you, if there is anything wrong I want you here right away or you call me.”

“Yes Dr. Michaels.”

“Good, I will see both of you in two weeks then and hopefully we can get that cast removed.” Dr. Michaels told them as he got up and left the room.

“Come on, let’s get you home.”

Clint took the offered crutches with a look on distain on his face. “I don’t like using these.”

“If you’d prefer, I could dig out a wheelchair…”

“No, this will work, I have to get use to them right? Doc says I’ll need to use at least one for a little while after the cast is removed. It’s just very awkward.” Clint replied, as they started their way out of the room.

“I had my car brought right up to the elevator door in the garage.” Phil told him as they got in the elevator.

“Are we just going to my place?”

“Well, your lease expired while you were in Budapest. So I had all your things taken to my new place.” Phil told him, as he helped Clint into the car. “Of course, the place will be too small once the baby arrives but it’s only a ten minute drive from here and Dr. Michaels actually lives pretty close by.”

“Did you move my stuff before or after you saw my note?”

“Before, when I was at your apartment looking for you I just happened to run into your landlord. It made sense to have your things moved into my place as I knew you’d forgive me sooner or later.”

“Oh yeah and how did you come to that conclusion?”

“It’s just as your note to me said, you love me too much.” Phil told him as he pulled into their parking spot in the apartment garage.

“Smug bastard.” Clint smiled up at Phil as the other man helped him out of the car.

“Love you too babe, now let’s get you upstairs and settled into bed.”

“I just finished spending several weeks in bed, I know I was in a coma for most of it but the last thing I want to do is lay in bed.”

“You and I both know that part of our agreement with Dr. Michaels was that you were to be on mandatory bed rest for the first few days of him releasing you.”

“I was just amusing the guy not agreeing with him.”

“Well amuse me instead.” Phil told him as opened the door to their apartment. “Go and lie down and have a nap at least and when it’s time for your medication we can go from there.”

“Fine, but I’m only agreeing to this because you’re insisting and not because I’m tired.” Clint pointed out as they worked their way down the hallway.

“Yes dear.” Phil agreed as he opened the bedroom door. “I went ahead and bought us a new bedroom set and Natasha took your old one, she figured you wouldn’t mind.”

“No this is perfect.” Clint told him as he set his crutches against the night stand and ran his hand along the bed. “Will you lie down with me? I don’t want to be alone in our bed for the first time.”

“Of course, let’s get you comfortable first.” Phil told him as he bent down to remove Clint’s shoes. “Pants on or off?”

“Off please.” Clint replied as he took his hoodie off.

Once he had Clint tucked into the bed, Phil went about taking his suit off before climbing in behind the other man and wrapping his arms around him with his hands resting on the slight swell of Clint’s belly.

Clint placed his hands on top of Phil’s and sighed happily. “I love you Phil.”

“I love you too, more then you’ll ever know.” Phil replied, smiling as he now held a sleeping archer in his arms.


	21. Chapter 21

“This feels so much better. That bloody cast made my leg so itchy.” Clint said as he glanced over his leg.

“You’ll still need to use at least the one crutch for now and you already know which exercises you need to do to build up your leg muscle. Just take it easy for now; you have an excellent reason to stay off your feet now.” Dr. Michaels told him as he went about setting up the ultrasound machine. “How have you been feeling otherwise?”

“I’m not getting sick anymore which is really nice.”

“He still gets tired quite easily, especially when he over does it.” Phil added.

“If I manage to sneak in an hour or so nap halfway through the day it isn’t too bad.” Clint pointed out. “I’m only good at not moving for hours when I’m working being at home is a different story.”

“Just make sure you pace yourself.” Michaels warned. “Fury may have only given you a six week leave but I have the power to extend that time or to put you on mandatory desk duty if I don’t think it’s in your best interest to come back.”

“Be hard to terrorize the newbies from your desk.” Phil added in.

Clint frowned and leaned back on the bed at Dr. Michaels request. “Do I still have an office here? I stopped using it when you became my handler.”

“From my couch then, best place for me to keep an eye on you.” Phil corrected as he took Clint’s hand into his.

“Don’t worry Phil; I’m not going to overdo it when I get cleared back to work and when I get tired all come right to your office and have a nap on the couch. I wouldn’t do anything to risk the health of our baby.”

Phil squeezed his hand. “I just want you to take it easy. I also worry over your health.”

Clint kissed the top of Phil’s hand and then jumped when the cold gel was placed on his belly. “Damn Doc, a little warning next time.”

Michaels chuckled as he started moving the transducer over the gel. “Sorry about that, didn’t want to interrupt you two. Now let’s get a good look at your girl.” After a few moments he spoke up again. “So you’re roughly seventeen weeks along now which means you are into week five of your second trimester. Did you have a chance to read those books I recommended to you?”

“All of them cover to cover and I’m pretty sure Phil was taking notes from some.” Clint told him, as he smiled up at his fiancé.

“It’s mostly theory with these books as it’s all to do with female pregnancies. But what differs for a male pregnancy?”

“In terms of the fetus development that will be the same as a regular pregnancy but it will be Clint’s body that you’ll notice the major difference. Obviously your body cannot produce breast milk to feed your child. Also chances are you won’t get the huge pregnant belly that women get due to where the fetus is located. It is really hard to say as there is like I said so many unrecorded cases that we just have to keep an eye on things. Once you’re in your third trimester I’ll want to see you at least every week but for now you come and see me the day you’re due back for work and we shall see where we are at.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Yes thanks doc. Hey Phil, we’re having some cravings for chocolate, is there any left in the stash I keep in your office?” Clint asked, as he sat up to get re-dressed.

“I believe there is, why don’t I run up and get some and meet you out at the car.” Phil said, as he thought of any files he could also grab.

“Just don’t let the Direction catch you.” Clint said as he leaned up for a kiss.

“He didn’t say anything about me not taking work home.” Phil replied before kissing him. “You know me too well, I love that about you.”

Clint dressed silently and once he was sure that Phil was no longer on the medical floor he turned to the doctor. “Did any of those other men you told me about make it to the third trimester?”

“Yes, Ryan Jacobson, but there were complications going into week thirty and the doctors couldn’t save him or the baby. That’s why I’m going to be monitoring you very closely and I’ll be coming in to see you not the other way around.”

“So I will only be able to come back to work for two months?”

“That is still a big if, but yes I don’t want you working come August and I will be letting both your fiancé and the Director know this.”

“Sounds fair Doc, well I better get going and hopefully Phil hasn’t stuffed the entire contents of his office into the car.”

“I’ll see you in a few weeks then and remember don’t hesitate to call me at any time if you have questions.”

“Will do.” Clint replied as he slowly made his way to the elevator. The doors opened immediately and he smiled when he saw who stood inside. “Hey, did you just get back?”

Natasha embraced him once Clint stepped into the elevator with her. “Yes, Maria ordered me to medical but it’s just a slight sprain and can wait a little while longer. I see you finally got the cast off.”

“Yeah and not a moment too soon, I was starting to lose my mind. I’ll be happier when I can get rid of this bloody thing.” Clint said, indicating to the crutch.

“I’m sure you won’t need it by the time the week is over. How are you doing otherwise?”

Clint shrugged slightly as the elevator reached the garage level. “I get tired pretty easily but I also have so much extra energy it’s really hard to just sit on the couch all day but having Phil there with me makes it easier.”

“Well that’s good, no more morning sickness I take it?”

“Thank god no, that seems to be finished.” Clint smiled. “But there is still the smell of some foods that just have my stomach turning. Also the cravings have started, it’s a good thing a lot of these places have twenty-four hour delivery service or I’d have poor Phil running all over New York late at night.”

“I’d do it without complaint.” Phil smiled as he approached the pair. “I just ran into Maria on my way down, what did medical say about that wrist?”

“Why don’t I go find out?” Natasha grinned and turned to leave.

“Hey Nat, are you free tonight?”

“I should be out of here in a few hours, why?”

“You should come over to our place for dinner tonight.” Clint told her. “Say, around five-thirty?”

“That would be nice; I’ll drag Maria with me. Should I bring anything?”

“Bring dessert and just make sure it has a ton of chocolate.” Clint instructed. “Oh and strawberries, I really love that combo.”

“There’s a fresh pack of strawberries in the fridge.” Phil pointed out.

“There was, now they’re gone. Speaking of strawberries maybe we should get some strawberry ice cream to go with my chocolate… you did remember my chocolate right?” Clint asked, as he eyed the pile of files under Phil’s arm.

“Don’t worry I didn’t forget your chocolate, it’s in my jacket pocket.” Phil assured him.

Natasha laughed as she got on the elevator. “You two are just so cute. I’ll see you both this evening.”

“She keeps throwing that word cute around I’m going to lose my edge as a cold blooded assassin.” Clint frowned as he climbed into the car.

“I don’t see Natasha throwing that word around in front of other agents and besides, most of the agents fear you and the others respect you too much to say anything.” Phil told him as he placed the files and crutch in the backseat before getting into the driver’s seat. “If anyone does say anything I’ll just shoot them, I have the clearance to do that.”

“Given to you by the Powers that be of this long ass titled agency?” Clint asked.

“No, Fury gave it to me after I shot one of the agent’s I was training in the knee to teach him a lesson.”

Clint sat up straighter and studied his fiancé. “Let’s get this car moving, I want ice cream and you in bed within the next ten minutes.”

For many years to come the rubber marks on the garage floor would always make Phil blush as Clint would chuckle and tell whoever happened to be in the vehicle with them the story on how those marks got there.


	22. Chapter 22

The next four weeks went by very quickly for the pair. Clint was walking without the crutch after the first week and by the end of the second week you would have never known that he had broken his leg. Sensing that his lover was going stir crazy in the apartment, Phil suggested that they spend their final two weeks of leave on a vacation. Since neither had any living family members left they decided to just put a pin in a USA map and see where it leads them. They ended up in New Mexico of all places not knowing that they would both be returning to this state in a year for a very different reason.

“So remember Dr. Michaels cleared you to train with your bow but for a limited time each day and absolutely no sparing. Also maybe use the corridors to travel around instead of the vents and don’t forget to come to my office at noon for lunch but if you get tired before that don’t hesitate to come to my office. Also I already cleared it with the Director and for the next few months we are only working until four so…”

“Don’t worry dad, I got this.”

Phil stopped and glared which only caused Clint to smile wider. “I’m glad you think this is amusing.”

“No I think it’s adorable, you’re going to make an amazing father Phil Coulson.” Clint assured him as he leaned up to kiss his lover. “Now get to work and I’ll see you at your office later.”

“At noon, or I’ll come looking for you and don’t forgot…”

“Phil, I promise you if I feel worn down at any point this morning or afternoon I’ll come straight to your office. Now I have to go, I’m late for a meeting with the Director. Not the best way to start after a six week leave.”

“Okay, I’m going. Love you.”

“I love you too.” Clint watched Phil for a moment before crossing the hall to knock on the Director’s door.

“Come in.”

“Sorry I’m late Sir, little trouble with the warden.” Clint said, as he sat down across from Fury.

Fury laughed. “I wouldn’t let him catch you calling him that if I were you.”

“No Sir, I don’t intend to.”

“Let’s get down to business shall we? First thing’s first. Clint, I’ve known and worked with Phil for the last ten almost eleven years now and I know that working here hasn’t always been easy on him; there is a lot of people who believe the only reason that Phil shares the post as my Second in Command is because of our friendship and not because he works harder than anyone else and deserves the position.”

“Are these the same idiots who believe Agent Hill slept her way into the other post as your second?”

Fury chuckled slightly. “Most likely, but most of those Agents have been sent to work on special long-term assignments elsewhere in the world but let me know if I missed any.”

“Will do.”

“As I was saying, Phil and I have been friends for quite some time and I can honestly say that since you two started working together he’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him especially within the last year, it’s a nice change and I hope it stays that way for both your sakes.”

“I would never hurt Phil, I love him too much.”

Fury hesitated briefly before speaking again. “I know you would never intentionally hurt him Clint but you need to know that I don’t think Phil could live without you.”

Clint frowned slightly and then it dawned on him. “Dr. Michaels informed you of the statics of male pregnancies I take it.”

“Yes, he happened to mention that he wasn’t allowed to say a word about it to Phil. I assume he told me this so I wouldn’t accidently start talking to Phil about it. But what I don’t understand is why you’re keeping this from him? I don’t think he’d be so willing to risk your life.” 

“You know, growing up nobody cared if I lived or died and even when I first joined the agency that didn’t really change until several months after I brought Natasha in and we became friends. But it wasn’t until Phil that I found a reason to live and now I’m carrying a part of him… I don’t think I can really explain how that changes things but I know that I’m going to beat the odds because I have Phil at my side.” Clint paused to take a deep breath. “I know I can do this Nick, I just didn’t want to give Phil anything else to worry about.”

“I understand but if something does happen…”

“I would hope that you along with Natasha would do whatever it took to look after him for me.”

“You have my word.” Fury nodded before becoming the Director once more. “Dr. Michaels informed me what you are cleared for and what you aren’t. With that in mind I’ve decided that you can assist Agent Hill in the evaluation of our newest batch of rookies. Normally we have a small group of ten or so agents and we spend a few weeks putting them through the paces to see if they have what it takes to become part of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division or if they should be with a lesser division or just don’t have what it takes for this type of work. For reasons unknown the; as you and Agent Romanoff like to call them, ‘Powers that Be’ have decided to give us twenty-five new rookies to evaluate this year.”

“That’s a large number of people.”

“Less than half will make it in I’m sure but since it’s a large group we need more time to evaluate and at least two people to do it. You happen to be the best agent I have at weeding out the weaker rookies. The incident in the rookies lounge over a year ago left me with only three of the eight new agents brought in for that year and so far all three have proven to be great assets.”

Clint blushed slightly when the Director’s gaze landed upon him and found he had to clear his throat before he could speak. “How long should we evaluate this group?”

“I’m giving you and Agent Hill until the end of June but I already told her that if there is anyone that either of you feel won’t make it get rid of them sooner rather than later. Agent Hill is waiting for you; training room three.”

“Thank you Director.” Clint smiled before making his way to the level training room three was located on. Upon reaching the correct room, he opened the door and made his way to Agent Hill’s side. He noted that luck was with him and he came in just at the end of the agencies standard introduction speech which was an easy thirty minutes of your life that you could never get back, not that he ever paid attention to it himself when he was a rookie.

Maria nodded to Clint when he stopped at her side and turned to address the large group in front of her once more. “This is Agent Barton and he’s going to be assisting me in your evaluations.”

“There too many real men in this room for you to handle alone, Agent Hill?”

Clint eyeballed the very cocky rookie in the front row who spoke up and could all but see the arrogance pouring off him and also noticed with some amusement that he had already managed to round up a few followers.

Maria sent the rookie a sharp smile. “Since the only real man in this room is standing beside me it won’t be a problem but thank you for your concern Kovak. I had a few other things I wanted to go over with you this morning but as you seem to all have this extra energy I want laps around this room until lunchtime, so that gives you about three hours and we will let you know when you can stop. Since you inspired this idea why don’t you lead them around the track Kovak.”

Once the entire group was off and running Clint turned and smirked at Maria. “That Kovak looks like he’s going to be a fun one.”

“That idiot has been running his mouth since he stepped foot into this room. I’m sure this little exercise will shut him up a bit, and if not well then I have other methods that will work.” Maria told him as she returned the smirk.

“Well I can tell you that after this morning the number of lackeys he has will drop a bit.” Clint studied the group as they ran by on their first lap. “I only count three women, isn’t it the agency’s policy to always have the genders of the rookies to be fifty/fifty?”

“Normally but half of these rookies have been hand-picked by the council members including golden boy Kovak.”

“Making him think he already has one foot in the door.” Clint surmised. “Well, let’s hope he doesn’t lose anyone toes if we end up slamming the door shut.”

Maria laughed and set her pad down. “So tell me, how was New Mexico?”


	23. Chapter 23

By the time noon had come around both Clint and Maria had managed to sneak out of the room without any of the rookies noticing and left instructions with one of the guards to head into the training room in an hour or so and let the rookies know they could all return to their barracks for the day and to make sure that they all personally thanked Kovak.

Clint headed straight to Phil’s office and wasn’t surprised to see that lunch had already been sent up. “Hey babe.” Clint kissed Phil’s cheek before easing himself down on the couch. “How goes the battle against the never ending paperwork?”

“Frustrating most of the Agent’s around here can’t be bothered to fill out the correct paperwork and it didn’t help that some changes were made within the last month or so and nobody bothered to inform me.” Phil replied as sat down. “But enough about me, how’s your morning going so far?”

“Very relaxing if you must know.” Clint said as he grabbed a spring roll. “As I’m sure you already know Fury has me assisting Maria in the assessment of a new batch of rookies.”

“The Director did mention that he was going to be employing the use of your other, not so hidden talent.”

“Yes, well so far Maria and I survived day one but we shall see tomorrow how the rookies faired.”

“You’re done for the day already? That’s odd, usually even if it’s a small group the first day takes longer than that.”

“One of the idiots thought he’d try and be cute so Maria ordered them to run laps until lunch time.”

“Let me guess, their still running.”

“Yep but we left instructions with a guard to send them back to their barracks in an hour or so. I don’t think any of them will be too impressed with Kovak tonight but we won’t know until tomorrow if he learned anything.”

“The idiot trying to be cute I take it.”

“Yeah, his personality screams arrogant asshole but it’s nothing that Maria and I can’t handle.”

“Since your done working with Agent Hill already, what’s your plans the rest of the day?”

“Actually, I was thinking of going down to the range for an hour or so. I haven’t held my bow in my hand since Budapest and I think that’s the longest I’ve ever gone.”

“Speaking of your bow, I forgot to mention this to you but I’m afraid it didn’t survive Budapest.” Phil told him as he got up and walked over to his desk.

“Well that sucks; I’ve had that bow since the very beginning.” Clint frowned. “Well I guess R&D department has several others on stock that I can use but it won’t be the same.”

“Actually, I was talking with R&D several months back about a new bow design.” Phil started as he returned with a case in his hands. “I wanted something that was lighter but still strong enough to withstand whatever beatings it might take and was quick and easy to uncompact and vice versa. They told me that it couldn’t be done so I used what connections I had and went to Stark Industries and got them to make this and a secondary one just in case.”

Clint stood up and opened the case; his hand went over the compact bow before pulling out and flicking it open. He balanced the weight in his hand and tested the pull. “Phil, this bow is amazing. I can’t believe you went to Stark Industries to have it made that must have cost a small fortune.”

“It was supposed to be your present for our first year anniversary but I forgot to grab it before we left for New Mexico.”

Clint collapsed the bow and put it back in the case. “Thank you for the new bow, I can’t wait to test it out on the range later.” Clint took the case from Phil’s hands and walked over and set it on the desk before walking over to the door and locking it. Shutting off the overhead lights so the only source of light was from the small one on the desk he made his way back to Phil’s side.

Phil watched Clint saunter back to his side with raised eyebrows. “I’m pretty sure when Dr. Michaels told you to get some rest for a few hours a day this isn’t what he had in mind.”

“Dr. Michaels told me that I should make sure I take it easy and get off my feet for a few hours each day.” Clint corrected. “I plan on doing just that for the next little while and after maybe I’ll sleep for a bit.” Clint then leaned in and kissed Phil until they were both breathless.

Phil put his hands on Clint’s shoulders and forced himself to take a step back. “We can’t do this here Clint; we agreed with Fury that we would remain professional in the office… and no, don’t even try pouting at me. That’s not even going to work on me, besides I actually have a meeting with Fury in ten minutes.”

Clint took a step forward and smirked as Phil started stepping back as he advanced. “What, are you afraid the Director is going to smell out that you had sex recently?”

“What?”

“I love when you get all flustered like that.” Clint all but purred out as Phil’s back hit the wall. “I don’t think you realize how sexy you really are, do you Phil?”

“I know what you’re trying to do Barton and it’s not going to work.” Phil told him sternly as he tried his best to frown.

In response Clint dropped to his knees and quickly unzipped the fly of Phil’s pants and grasped the other man’s harden member. “Not working huh?”

“Barton.” Phil repeated.

“Coulson.”

“I’m serious Clint…” Phil gasped when Clint’s mouth wrapped around him and had to support himself up with the wall behind him. His body was humming in pleasure for several minutes when suddenly it stopped. He glanced down in confusion to see Clint sitting back on his heels and frowning at the wall to his right. “Why did you stop?”

“You’re going to be late.” Clint replied as he lifted up both his hands. “Can you give me a hand up?”

Phil’s jaw dropped as he took in his lover’s calm expression before looking down at himself, there was no way he was sitting through a meeting with Fury like this.

Clint did his best to keep the smirk off his face but the look on Phil’s was just too much and when Phil looked back at him he fought to keep a look of innocence’s on his face and failed.

“Bastard.” Phil muttered half-heartedly before he hauled Clint up onto his feet and set him down on his desk.

“What about your meeting?” Clint asked as suddenly there was nothing between him and the desk.

“This won’t take long and Fury will live if I’m few minutes late.” Phil told him as he gently pushed Clint onto his back and then pulled him forward so that he was lined up to his entrance.  

Clint gasped and his back arched off the desk as he was filled. Using the desk as leverage he was able to meet Phil thrust for thrust. They came together and Clint let out at satisfied moan as Phil leaned down to kiss him. “That was amazing; we should have had sex in your office much sooner.” Clint said as he propped himself up.

“As amazing as that was, next time we’ll be waiting until we get home.” Phil told him as he zipped up his pants.

“You say that now.” Clint smirked again. “Are you going to answer that?”

Phil stared at him in confusion for a second before realizing his cell phone was ringing, turning around he snatched the phone up from the table. “Crap, it’s the Director. I have to go now but I want you to stay here and get some rest. Remember don’t spend too much time in the range and I’ll meet you at the car by four.” Phil instructed before answering his phone. “Coulson.”

“Love you Phil.” Clint called out before the man could leave the office.

“Love you too. No Sir, I wasn’t talking to you. I’m on my way as we speak; I couldn’t find the file I needed.” Phil said as he left the office.

Sighing, Clint reached behind himself and picked up a file and held it front of him.

Phil flew back into the room and took the file with a smile and silent thanks. “Yes Sir, just getting into the elevator now I will be in your office in five minutes. No, I haven’t seen Agent Hill…”

Chuckling to himself, Clint got off the desk and pulled his pants back up. After cleaning up the mess from lunch and their after lunch activities he sat down on the couch and kicked his boots off. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and was asleep within minutes of lying down.


	24. Chapter 24

“Agent Kovak, you do realize that this was supposed to be a team training exercise.”

“It’s not my problem if the others couldn’t keep up.”

“This wasn’t an exercise to see who could get out the fastest but getting every member of the team out alive.” Agent Hill pointed out as she resisted the urge to rub her temples. “You allowed Agent Barton to take out every member of your team and even used Agent Chen as a human shield.”

“Maybe I should have a team of Agents who are somewhat as talented as myself.” Kovak replied his voice filled with his usual arrogance.

Clint rolled his eyes at the other man’s tone as he walked up to the group. “Not everyone who is an Agent has leadership material Agent Kovak. Perhaps we should run this exercise again but I would suggest that Agent Taylor be lead Agent this time.”

Kovak sneered. “I don’t follow orders from some weak…”

Agent Hill cleared her throat, stopping whatever the man was about to say. “Excellent idea Agent Barton, let’s go through this from the top with Agent Taylor as lead. If you have any problems with this Agent Kovak your more than welcome to sit this exercise out and take a fail mark.”

Agent Kovak clenched his jaw before turning to face the only female in the group. “Lead the way, Agent Taylor.”

“You have ten minutes to come up with a plan and then we are re-starting this exercise.” Clint called out as the eight rookie agents walked back into the training building before glancing at the other group. “I hope your taking note on what they do wrong and don’t repeat it when it’s your turn.”

“You okay?” Maria asked as Clint walked up to her. “We’ve been at this all day and you haven’t taken a break yet. When Phil finds out he’s going to have my head.”

“We only have less than a week left to test out the final sixteen rookies and we need to push them hard.” Clint frowned at her. “We’re not taking breaks just for my benefit.”

“Clint, you’re almost twenty-five weeks along and you need to know your limits.” Maria frowned back. “After this exercise I’m going to run these agents through drills and I want you to take an hour and get off your feet and if you don’t I’ll be calling your fiancé to come and get you.”

“You wouldn’t.” Clint said as his eyes narrowed.

“Try me.” Maria replied as she crossed her arms.

Clint sighed. “Okay, after this exercise I will go and lay down, just please don’t tell Phil that I was over doing it today.”

“Don’t worry my lips are sealed.” Maria replied. “Now let’s hope this time around they do better.”

“Hey, the worse this group does the more fun I have.” Clint smirked as he picked up the laser gun he was using. “I’m going to focus my attention on Kovak first.”

Maria smirked back. “You and I both know that he won’t listen to a signal order that Taylor gives out and will most likely dicker off on his own.”

“He has zero leadership skills, couldn’t work with a team if his life depended on it and refuses to follow orders that are issued by well certain people.” Clint finished off with apologetic shrug. “What reason did Fury give that we couldn’t kick this guy out of the program?”

Maria shrugged. “Fury just told me that the Council order that Kovak be allowed to complete the program, he didn’t really answer the why part though.”

“So Kovak is either sleeping with or is related to one of the Council members.”

“That’s the only two answers I could come up with, but I’m leaning towards him being a relative. Kovak is too self-absorbed to be in a relationship. Plus all of the Council members are quite a bit older than Kovak.”

“Hey, some of us happen to like older men.” Clint said winking before turning around and heading into the building. “I’ll radio you when I’m in position.”

Maria chuckled and then went to stand by the multiple computer monitors that showed the footage inside the building. “Okay so you all just saw how this training exercise shouldn’t be done, let’s hope this time you actually get a glimpse on how it should go. Also, after this group does the exercise again I’m going to be asking you questions on how Agents Kovak and Taylor’s leadership skills differ.”

“Agent Hill, I’m in position.”

“Thank you Agent Barton.” Maria paused before picking up the other radio. “Agent Taylor, you and your team may proceed. Remember the object of this exercise isn’t about speed but getting your team out alive.”

Clint chuckled from his position in the rafters. Already he could hear Kovak loudly protesting Taylor’s instructions but was impressed at how she seemed to be handling the man. Agent Taylor defiantly had leadership potential. “Come on sweetie, Daddy is trying to work right now. The acrobatics can wait until later.” Clint muttered as he rubbed his abdomen. Glancing back down, Clint was surprised to see that for now Kovak appeared to be willing to follow Taylor’s orders but knew that it wouldn’t last long. Quickly figuring out which direction the team would most likely be going he decided to go ahead and try to cut them off and force them back.

_Forty minutes later_

“Was the purpose of this training exercise completely lost on you again Kovak?” Agent Hill screamed.

“No Agent Hill.”

“Really, because I specifically remember telling everyone that the purpose of this exercise was for a team of eight people to work together to get out of the building while avoid enemy fire, at no point did I instruct you to engage the enemy, now did I Kovak.”

“No you didn’t ma’am… I mean Agent Hill.”

“So can you explain to me what you were thinking by attempting to engage Agent Barton?” Maria screamed out, having long gone past the point of being able to calm down.

Agent Kovak glanced down at his feet and mumbled his response.

“I didn’t hear that Agent.”

“I have no excuse for my actions.”

“Damn rights you don’t, you’re just very lucky that Agent Barton wasn’t seriously injured. Never the less I’ve reported this incident to Director Fury and your presence is required in his office in one hour, so I suggest you start making your way back. The rest of you can join him; we will continue this exercise tomorrow. Now move it.” Maria waited until they were all out of the training yard before turning and heading towards Clint. “How’s the head?”

“It’s felt better; please tell me that the swelling has gone down at bit?” Clint asked as he pulled the ice pack away.

Maria winced as she inspected the damage. “Sorry but that has gotten worse and I’m pretty sure you’re going to have a bruise to go along with that goose egg.”

Clint groaned and gently put the ice pack on his head. “Phil is going to freak when he hears about this.”

“Yeah, speaking of Phil… I’m pretty sure he was in Fury’s office when I called.”

“How sure is pretty sure?” Clint asked as he looked up at her.

Maria glanced over her shoulder at the sound of squealing tires. “Oh, I’d say one hundred percent sure. Good thing the rookies took the back road.”

Clint winced as he caught the look on Phil’s face as he got out of the car. “That’s not going to stop Phil from putting a bullet into Kovak.” Clint told her as Phil quickly approached them.

“Are you alright?” Phil asked worriedly as he bent down to inspect the damage.

“I’m fine Phil; it was just a small bump to the head.” Clint assured him.

“Dr. Michaels will be the judge of that.” Phil told him as he straightened. “Now, where is the idiot that did this? Agent Kovak wasn’t it?”

“I’ve already sent all the rookies back to the office.” Maria answered. “Director Fury requested that Agent Kovak report to his office right away.”

Phil’s glance turned cool as he faced Maria. “What the hell is this man still doing as a rookie in training for this department?”

“I requested to have him removed from the program two weeks ago but the Council denied the request and told Fury that he was to complete the training. My hands have been tied Coulson and I’m sorry this happened. Agent Kovak maybe an arrogant asshole but nothing about his profile said he would attack a trainer in this manner.”

“Well, we may have been trying to push his buttons slightly.” Clint added.

“Not another word from you. Get in the car; I’m taking you straight to medical.” Phil said as he turned back to Clint.

“I don’t need to go to medical for a small bump on the head.” Clint protested.

“Clint, get in the car.” Phil yelled out.

Clint’s mouth dropped open before snapping shut, throwing a glare at Phil he pushed past the other man and stormed to the car.

Phil winced as the sound of the car door slamming shut echoed across the yard. “Shit.”

Maria raised an eyebrow and gave him an amusing glance. “You could have handled that a little better. I sure hope you own a comfy couch.”

“Thanks, that’s very helpful of you.” Phil growled back.

“Hey, I know where you are coming from; I can’t image how terrified and angry you were at hearing that Clint had been injured in a training exercise.” Maria replied. “But it wasn’t his fault this happened and yelling at him isn’t going to do you any good.”

“Fury wouldn’t let me leave his office until I handed over my service weapon.” Phil sighed as he rubbed his temple. “Also I’m not upset with Clint; I just let my temper get the better of me.”

“I’m not the one you need to be saying that too. Look Phil, I made sure myself that Clint was okay and it’s just a small bump to the head, no chance of concussion. That idiot was only able to get the one hit in before Clint took his ass down.” Maria smiled sympathetically. “You have to remember that Clint is one of the most capable Agents this agency has and now that he’s carrying your child his protective instincts have gone up. Besides when you can’t be around Clint you know that either Natasha or myself will be keeping an eye on him for you, so stop worrying so much.”

“You’re absolutely right, thank you Maria.” Phil sighed. “Well I better get going. If Fury asks tell him that we’ve gone home for the day.”

“I can do that, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Maria replied before heading to the jeep.

Phil walked back to his car and knew with one look at Clint, who had his sunglasses on with the ice pack against his head and a frown on his face; that it was going to be a very quiet and long drive home. 


	25. Chapter 25

Clint didn’t utter a single word on the car ride home and was silent up until the door of their apartment was closed. “I want to yell at you right now but I need something for this headache first.” Clint told him as he headed towards the kitchen.

Phil trailed in behind him and leaned against the opposite counter. “Clint, I’m sorry I lost my temper and yelled at you like I did. When I heard that you had been hurt I panicked and then when Maria told us a rookie had attack you I lost it. But that gives me no excuse for yelling at you like I did.”

Clint studied Phil over the rim of his glass. “Where is your gun?”

Phil felt his cheeks heat up slightly as he scratched the back of his head. “Fury wouldn’t let me out of his office until I handed it over.”

“Starting spewing out threats of shooting rookies kneecaps again?”

“Well, not exactly the kneecaps…” Phil confessed. “It was a good call on the Director’s part because I wouldn’t have been able to hold back on wanting to shoot the idiot who would dare touch you.”

Putting his glass down, Clint moved forward until he was in Phil’s arms. “I’m still pissed that you yelled at me in front of another agent and I can understand where you’re coming from so I will forgive you for that. But if you ever treat me anything less than another agent in front of others we will be having words, understood?”

“Understood.”

“Good, now hold me. Tasha doesn’t like it when her daddy’s are fighting.” Clint ordered.

Smiling, Phil wrapped his arms around the other man and pulled him close. “She’s still very active today.”

“She hasn’t stopped moving in the last twenty-four hours, it was hard getting any sleep last night but I’m getting used to it. I didn’t tell Maria this but I was slightly distracted the moment before Kovak engaged me, hence why he was able to sneak up on me and get one clean hit in.”

“Maria said you took his ass down.”

Clint shrugged. “It wasn’t all that hard; once I had him pinned he didn’t really fight me. Actually it was the first time I’ve seen him so speechless.”

“Well I’m sure he won’t have much to say after his meeting with Fury. We will have to get all the dirt from that tomorrow.”

“We work in a building filled with secret agents, so I’m sure everyone will know what was said before the end of the day. Now, I want to go lay down for a bit are you going to join me?”

“There is nothing more I would love to do.” Phil told him before sweeping Clint off his feet and moving to the bedroom.

 

It was just shy of five in the morning when the ringing of a phone woke the couple up. Phil shot out of bed and starting searching for his suit jacket. “Clint, where did you toss my jacket last night?”

“Try looking behind the chair.” Clint mumbled as he drew the blankets around himself.

Snatching up the jacket he quickly fished out his cell phone and answered it as he was leaving the room. “Coulson. Stark has been what? What time did the attack happen? And they are sure he’s been kidnapped? Okay, I’ll be there in thirty.”

Clint was sitting up in bed when Phil ran back into the room. “What’s going on?”

“Tony Stark was kidnapped after a weapons demonstration in the Middle East yesterday, almost everyone who was escorting him is dead.” Phil told him as he opened the closest.

“Jesus, and their positive he’s still alive?” Clint asked as he rolled out of bed.

“There is no doubt that he was kidnapped by some extreme military group to make weapons for someone’s cause.” Phil told him as he quickly got dressed. “Fury didn’t really say what our involvement is going to be, just that he want’s Hill and myself in right away.”

“I’m coming in with you, I could always use more time in the range before the regular working hours start.” Clint replied as he quickly threw on jeans and a hoodie. “And don’t worry; I plan on taking it easy today. No more training exercises for me.”

Phil frowned as he looked Clint over. “That bump still looks pretty nasty, are you sure you wouldn’t rather take a sick day?”

“Trust me it looks worse than it feels.” Clint responded. “Besides you and Maria might be stuck in the Director’s office all day and the rookies still need to be run through a few drills. Now let’s get going before your late and I take all the blame for it for distracting you with my sexiness.”

Phil snorted as the pair headed towards the elevator. “That’s not the word Fury used.”

Clint tossed him a grin as he selected the parking level. “I still find it funny that he took one look at you and knew you had sex.”

“I’m glad one of us finds it so amusing.” Phil replied dryly as he got in behind the wheel. “You’re not the one who had to sit through an hour long lecture on proper office conduct.”

“Though I do wish I could have been in the room.” Clint laughed.

Once they arrived at the office, Phil head straight for the Director’s office while Clint made his way down to the range. He quickly changed into his uniform and frowned when he realized how the vest was almost too tight. Walking out onto the range he was surprised to see someone standing there and even more shocked when he realized who it was. “Agent Kovak, what brings you to the range so early?”

Kovak jumped slightly before he turned around. “Agent Barton, I didn’t hear you come in. I was actually down here looking for you.”

“Well you found me, what can I do for you?” Clint asked as he studied Kovak, there was something different about him today.

“I wanted to apologize to you in regards to my actions yesterday.” Kovak said as he came closer. “I have no excuse for what I did and I’m not even really sure what possessed me to act out like that.”

“Well thank you for coming and apologizing. I hope something like this won’t happen again.”

“No Sir.” Kovak replied. “I’m just glad I didn’t seriously hurt you, I would have never forgiven myself. You are okay right, both of you?”

Clint took a step back in shock. “How do you…”

“When you pinned me down with my arms against your stomach I felt the baby kicking.” Kovak told him.

“That could have been anything.” Clint pointed out as his hands instinctively went to his belly.

“It’s alright Agent Barton; I swear I’m not going to say a word to anyone about this.” Kovak hesitated before speaking again. “I assume that Agent Coulson is your partner. Fury warned me that it would be best if I don’t run into him any time soon.”

“He’s my fiancé. I’m sorry, I still don’t really understand…”

“Do you recognize the name Ryan Jacobson?”

“The name does sound familiar.” Clint frowned as he tried to remember how he knew that name and when it finally came to him he couldn’t keep the shock from his face.

“Ryan was almost thirty weeks into his pregnancy when something went wrong and before I knew it I lost both him and the baby. That was almost five years ago now and I never really got over it.”

“I’m sorry.” Clint didn’t know what else to say. He finally understood that this was Kovak, the man before he lost everything and his way of dealing had been to become someone else entirely. Fear clenched him at the thought of something like this happening to Phil if anything happened to either the baby or himself.

Kovak nodded his jaw tightening as he glanced down at the floor. “Can I ask you something?”

“You may.”

“When Ryan and I first learned about the baby and the statistics on male pregnancies we had a huge fight and came close to calling it quits. Ryan was determined to have the baby and I didn’t want to chance losing him. So I was just wanting to know how you and your fiancé handled it, what made you decided to keep the baby?”

Clint bit his lip and pulled his bow out. “I hope you don’t mind, but I need to get some time in or I’ll get rusty.”

“Oh, of course, I should have known better…”

“He doesn’t know.” Clint said as he drew back on the bow.

“I’m sorry?” Kovak stopped in mid-step.

“Phil, my fiancé, he doesn’t know the statistics on male pregnancies.” Clint released the arrow. “I thought it would be best that he didn’t know and have sworn several people to secrecy over the matter.”

“Are your sure that’s a good idea?”

“No I’m positive that it’s a bad idea but it’s the only one I have. Both Phil and I want this baby and I didn’t want him to spend the next few months worrying about me, more so than he already does.” Clint released another arrow and glanced over his shoulder. “It’s Eric right?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Why don’t you grab one of the spare bows in the back and we will see how you do with this weapon. We still have a few hours until we have to meet with the other rookies.”

Kovak paused a moment before nodding. “I would like that Sir.”

“You can call me Clint or Barton when were not on duty and Agent Barton when we are and no more of that Sir shit, it pisses me off.”

“Of course, thank you Clint.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who is reading this story so far! I'm afraid this is all I had time to post this morning but I'll try and post more at the end of the day.


	26. Chapter 26

The last few days of training went by smoothly and by the end of the month there was twelve rookies remaining who would have to face the final challenge before they could official become new recruits. Maria was shocked by the sudden change in Eric Kovak but when asked, Clint said the man had come too apologized and they worked out their differences. The hard sell had been when Phil and Eric met for the first time, and yes, Clint had made sure that there were no weapons within Phil’s reach which isn’t an easy thing to do. But in the end he was able to convince Phil not to harm the other man by telling him it was nice to have another friend he could talk to about the pregnancy. When Eric told the story of what happened to his lover and unborn child, Clint was prepared for Phil to start asking the questions he didn’t really want the man asking but thankfully Agent Sitwell came at the right time needing to talk to Phil.

Clint was just leaving the Director’s office when he ran into Maria. “What are you still doing here? I thought you and Nat where supposed to fly out with the rookies twenty minutes ago.”

“We were supposed to but neither Agents Romanoff nor Kovak decided to show up at the meeting point. Have you seen them?”

“I actually haven’t seen either one of them since dinner last night.” Clint told her. “I’ve been in the Directors office since I arrived this morning.”

“That’s most likely why they didn’t show up.” Maria frowned as she glanced at her watch. “Do you have any idea where they could be?”

“No, not really.” Clint lied.

“I preferred it when it was just two of you who pulled this crap off.” Maria told him.

“What crap are you referring to?” Clint asked innocently.

“Oh you know to what crap I’m referring to Clint Barton. Don’t try and be smart with me.” Maria responded, trying to keep the smile off her face. “Once you see them, please tell them we are leaving at ten and if they're not there I might just leave them behind.”

“If I see them, I will definitely pass that message along for you Agent Hill.” Clint replied. “Good luck out there and I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Thanks and take care of yourself.” Maria pulled him into a quick hug.

Clint waited until she was in the elevator before heading in the opposite direction and taking the stairs up a couple of flights before walking into the lounge for the administration staff which was empty except for the two people sitting on the couch. Clint let out a slight moan as he sat down between them. “My feet are so swollen that they hurt.”

“When is your next appointment with Dr. Michaels?” Natasha asked as she pulled Clint’s feet up on her lap and removed his boots.

“At four o’clock this afternoon.” Clint answered as he shifted and leaned against Eric as Natasha started rubbing his feet.

“Chances are good he’ll be putting you on bed rest for the reminder of your pregnancy.” Eric pointed out. “He told you that you were only working until the end of July right?”

“Yes he did and I’m sure your right about the bed rest but I don’t think I’m going to argue with the doctor over it and I know for a fact that Phil won’t let me.”

“I never expected the day to come where you would listen to a doctor’s orders without someone forcing you to.” Natasha commented as she switched to his other foot.

“It’s not just me anymore and that changes things.” Clint told her as he rubbed his stomach. “Did I mention yet that Phil and I are finally going shopping for baby furniture?”

“That’s exciting, but where are you planning on putting it? The master bedroom isn’t very big.” Natasha asked.

“I talked Phil into boxing up everything from the study and turn that room into a nursery.” Clint replied. “It’s a small room but it will work for the first few years.”

“Look at you, talking and making plans for the future.” Natasha smiled. “Have I told you lately how happy I am for you?”

“Every day.” Clint smiled as he leaned forwarded and hugged her. “Thanks for the foot rub.”

“No problem.”

Eric was silent as he studied the two friends who had been kind enough to bring him into their fold. He hadn’t had this closeness with anyone since he had lost Ryan and he knew that he could never be the same person he was with Ryan but hopefully with friends like Clint and Natasha he could become a better man.

“You’re awfully quiet.” Clint commented as he looked up at Eric.

“Sorry, spaced out there for a moment, I didn’t get much sleep last night as I was up late stressing over the final challenge.” Eric smiled. “Natasha and I will have to try and talk Maria into letting us getting some shopping in so we can get baby clothes.”

“That’s an excellent idea.” Natasha smiled. “But speaking of that challenge we should get going before Maria tracks us down.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that I ran into Maria when I left the Directors office.” Clint said as they both got up. “But don’t worry she’s given you both until ten. I guess she knew I needed to see you both before you left.”

“She’s very perceptive.” Natasha replied as she helped Clint up.

Clint sighed as he stared down at his feet. “I forgot to put my boots back on.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get them.” Natasha told him. “Eric, can you go ahead and tell Maria that I’ll be right there.”

Eric nodded. “I’ll see you in a week.”

“Good luck Eric and remember don’t over think it and you’ll be fine.” Clint assured him.

“Thank you, I will.” Eric smiled as he left the room.

“Lift your left foot up.” Natasha instructed. “Now you’re right.”

“Thanks Nat.” Clint said as she stood up.

“What are you going to do without me for a week?” Natasha teased.

“I’ll survive.” Clint smiled. “Try and have a good time, I know that will be hard without me.”

“Somehow I’ll manage.” Natasha smiled. “I’ll see you in a week; I expect dinner when I get back. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Clint sighed as Natasha left the room; he glanced around the empty room before deciding to see what Phil was up to and then maybe after that hit up the range one last time.

* * *

“I really appreciate you covering for me this week Jasper.”

“It’s no problem Phil. With two agents on medical leave for at least the next few months I have plenty of spare time that needs to be filled. So at any time you need me to cover for you, just let me know.” Agent Jasper Sitwell replied as he placed the files Phil had given him on the chair. “So have things been with you?”

“The last few months have been a bit crazy and I don’t see that changing anytime soon and I don’t want it to.” Phil smiled.

“I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time.” Jasper replied. “I actually haven’t seen much of you at all really. Neither you or Agent Hill come out with us anymore, I guess you’re both really busy working in the field?”

“I guess we both have our hands full.” Phil replied. “When you’re working with the agencies top assets you tend to do a lot of traveling.”

“So with your two assets being who they are, do you and Hill work together on the field more?”

“The only joint mission we’ve done was to go into Budapest and rescue our two agents.” Phil told him. “What’s with all the weird questions about myself and Hill?”

Jasper shrugged slightly as he studied the wall over Phil’s shoulders. “Well you know, people talk and even if I haven’t seen you all that often lately I can still tell there is something different about you.”

“Just what are people talking about?” Phil asked as he gave Jasper a look. “Also, what does that have to do with Maria?”

“Maria is it?” Jasper replied as he finally met Phil’s eyes.

Phil frowned as he stared at his friend in confusion before finally putting the pieces together. “Wait, wait… does everyone in this agency think the two of us are having some sort of affair?”

Jasper sifted awkwardly in his chair. “Well that’s what the rumor says, I didn’t really believe it myself as I know both you and Agent Hill are too professional to do something like that, especially with the no fraternization rule this agency has. But like I said you seem so much happier and you have this ‘I’m in a relationship’ glow about you.”

Phil’s frown deepened as he sat in shock for a moment before clearing his throat slightly. “Well your right about a few things, yes I’m in a relationship and also Agent Hill is too professional to break the rules.”

“Phil, I’m your friend, you know you can tell me anything right?” Jasper asked, as he studied Phil who was shifting nervously in his chair.

Phil opened his mouth to speak when a knock on the door interrupted him.

“Phil I… oh sorry I didn’t realize you were meeting with anyone. I’ll come back later.”

The voice was one that Jasper wasn’t familiar with but the look on Phil’s face told him everything he needed to know, the man behind him was the reason for his friend’s happiness. Turning in his chair he quickly studied the other man. Jasper didn’t recognize the younger man but from Phil had been indicating he was in a relationship with someone who worked here. It hit him so suddenly that Jasper was surprised he managed to introduce himself so smoothly. “Agent Barton, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Jasper Sitwell.” Jasper said as he stood up and held out his hand.

“Please call me Clint, Phil has told me a lot about you. It’s nice to know that there is someone he can count on when he’s not here.” Clint replied as he shook Jasper’s hand.

“Jasper and I were just going over everything that needs to be taken care of while I’m off this week.” Phil said as got up and came to Clint’s side.

“Well actually we were discussing this ridicules rumor about Phil and Agent Hill.” Jasper grinned.

“Oh yes, I heard about you two heating up the utility closets.” Clint teased as he smiled up at Phil.

Jasper’s eyebrows rose and he watched Phil turn and interesting shade of red. “So the utility closet rumor does have some truth to it, the rumor mill just has the incorrect name of the second party.”

“You’re adorable when you blush.” Clint smiled as he leaned against Phil’s side.

“Clint.” Phil sighed fondly.

“Phil.” Clint replied before leaning up and kissing his cheek. “I’m going to go work in the range for a bit, who knows when I’ll be able to step foot in there again. I’ll see you for lunch?”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.” Phil replied before pulling Clint up for a real kiss.

“Well.” Clint said breathlessly as he took a step back. “I should be going; it was nice meeting you Jasper. You’ll have to come by the apartment for dinner sometime.”

“I would like that.” Jasper smiled. “I’m sure I have some awesome stories of Phil I could share.”

“Look forward to hearing them.” Clint replied before heading out of the office.

Jasper waited until the door was closed before speaking again. “Okay, first congrats on bagging such a young hottie, you have to tell me how you managed that one. Also, am I crazy or is your boyfriend pregnant?”

Phil stood there in shock for a moment. “You have no problem with this?”

“Of course not, why would I?” Jasper frowned at his friend. “Wait, don’t answer that just sit down and give me the details. I want to hear this story from start to finish.”

“Thank you.” Phil said as he sat down.

“This is what friends are for, now start talking.”

Smiling, Phil started to tell his friend the story of how he met the love of his life.


	27. Chapter 27

It was early in the morning in mid-August when Phil’s cell phone started ringing. He shot out of bed quickly and rushed out of the room to answer it before it woke up Clint. “What’s so important that it couldn’t have waited a few more hours?” Phil asked, not caring that it was Fury on the other end.

“They found Tony Stark.”

“What? Last I heard they had no idea where he was being held.” Phil replied, moving to the kitchen and shutting the door.

“I didn’t say they rescued him, they found him wandering the desert of the Middle East. He somehow managed to escape from those holding him prisoner.”

“How the hell did he manage that?”

“I’m not sure and Tony Stark isn’t saying. He’s being treated in an army base over there and then they're bringing him back to Malibu tomorrow. Coulson, I’m sorry to ask this of you but I need you to fly to Malibu and speak to Stark on his impossible escape.”

“What? Director you know that I can’t go anywhere right now. Send Agent Hill and maybe Agent Romanoff as well, if Stark doesn’t talk maybe they could beat the information out of him.”

“First, this program we are working on is your baby as well so you know we want Stark as an ally. Second, Stark would most likely try hitting on both of them which you know those two women; they’d end up trying to kill him. Thirdly, you two are the only ones I trust for something like this and as it stands you’re the only one who can do this. It’s important that we be the first group that talks to Stark. I promise you, it’s a quick and easy mission and you should be back within a week.”

“Director, I’m just not sure about this.”

“Phil I promise you, he’ll have someone looking out for him every second your gone. As your friend I would never let anything happen to him. I’ll make you a deal; if this mission somehow takes longer then a week then I will let you take off however much time you want when the baby is born. Phil, I need my only good eye on this mission.”

“So you’re giving me your word that when the baby comes I can take all the time off that is needed, with pay.”

“Yes, all the time you needed with pay, so do we have a deal?”

“What time does my jet leave?” Phil asked as the door behind him opened.

“Stark is scheduled to arrive in Malibu in twelve hours so figuring in the time difference I’ve scheduled for a jet to leave in four hours; does that give you enough time?”

“Plenty, I’ll touch base with you once I’m in Malibu and have made some sort of contact with either Stark or his people.” Phil shut the cellphone closed and placed it down before turning to face Clint. “I’m sorry; did the phone wake you up?”

“No, baby woke me up and then I realized you weren’t there.” Clint replied, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Now, why is the Director sending you to Malibu?”

“Tony Stark was found wandering the desert, we don’t know how he escaped and Fury wants answers. I’ve been told I’m the only one who can do it.”

“I would have told Fury to go himself if he wants information from Stark so badly.” Clint sighed. “When are you leaving and how long are you going to be gone for?”

“The jet leaves in four hours and I’ll be in Malibu for at least a week.” Phil stepped forward and pulled Clint into his arms. “I hate leaving you, especially now but I’m going to call Natasha and Eric and they can come stay with you until I get back.”

“Don’t worry, I will call them later. But for now let’s go back to bed for another hour or so and then you can get ready to go.” Clint told him as he tugged Phil’s hand.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep anymore tonight.” Phil said as they walked into the bedroom.

Clint chuckled as he spun around into Phil’s arms. “Who said anything about sleeping?”

Eight and a half hours later Phil was standing at the edge of a large conference room located at Stark Industries in Malibu. It had been announced only twenty minutes ago that Tony Stark was on his way to address the media. Phil watched as the man in question walked in with his business partner Obadiah Stane at his side and his assistant Pepper Potts trailing behind them. Stark wasn’t really what Phil had pictured but being held captive in a hostile territory while be forced to do lord knows what would change a man. Phil approached Stark's assistant and waited half a moment before addressing the red head. “Ms. Potts?”

Slightly startled Pepper turned to the man who had addressed her. “Yes?”

“Can I speak with you for a moment?” Phil asked, with a small smile on his face.

“I’m… I’m not part of the press conference but it’s about to begin right now.” Pepper replied.

“I’m not a reporter. I’m Agent Phil Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.” Phil told her as he handed over one of his business cards.

“That’s quite a mouthful.” Pepper commented as she looked down at the card.

“I know we’re working on it.”

“You know, we’ve… we’ve been approached already by the D.O.D., the FBI the CIA…”

“We’re a separate division, with a more specific focus. We need to debrief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape.” Phil told her, feeling a bit bad about cutting the woman off.

“I’ll put something in the book shall I?” Pepper smiled.

“Thank you.” Phil smiled before walking away. He stayed until the group of reports jumped up in an uproar at the announcement Stark made. Shaking his head he made his way out of the building and quickly dialed Fury. “Director, its Coulson. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Stark yet but I was able to get my card to his assistant so hopefully I’ll hear something soon. Also, you might want to check the news, Stark just announced something big and I think it’s coming from his time spent in captivity.” Putting away his cell, Phil got into the agency car he was borrowing and started back to the headquarters located in Los Angeles.


	28. Chapter 28

“Thirty-three weeks along and your both looking really good, how are you feeling?” Dr. Michaels asked.

“I’m exhausted, fat and really sick and tired of being asked how I’m feeling.” Clint muttered as he crossed his arms across himself and turned his attention back to the television.

“Sorry Doctor, since Phil had to go out of town he’s been in a foul mood.” Natasha apologized.

“I’m sitting right here.” Clint frowned at her.

“I know sweetie and because I love you I’m allowed to speak the truth.” Natasha just smiled as his frown deepened.

“Phil said he would be gone for a week, well it’s been six days and he still hasn’t made contact with Stark so chances are we’re looking at another week of him being Malibu. I swear to god he better be back home before this baby is born or I will kick his ass and then I’ll kick the Director’s ass for send him across the country.”

“It could be at least another six weeks before your baby is ready to make her appearance so don’t worry Phil should be home in time.” Dr. Michaels told him in attempt to cheer his patient up and failed.

“Did you just say six weeks? I don’t think I could handle this for another six weeks.” Clint moaned. “God it’s no wonder Phil agreed to this mission so quickly he most likely just wanted to get away from me as soon as possible.”

“Clint stop being so ridiculous, everyone knows that Phil would rather be here than in Malibu recruiting Stark.” Eric told him as he walked out of the kitchen with a bowl in his hand. “Here, eat some of your ice cream.”

“Dr. Michaels, let me escort you to the door.” Natasha said as she got up from the couch.

“Yes, thank you. I’ll see you next week Clint, does the same time work for you?” Dr. Michaels asked as he picked up his bag.

Clint quickly swallowed his mouthful of ice cream then shuddered. “It does, thanks again for coming Doc.” Clint did a half wave before turning his attention back to the ice cream and movie that was playing.

Once at the door Dr. Michaels waved Natasha out into the hallway. “How much sleep has he been getting since Phil left?”

“Not much, the baby keeps him up most of the night so I would say maybe four hour or less. Sometimes he’s able to get in a couple of hours during the day.” Natasha replied. “Is there anything you can do for him?”

“I’m afraid at this point it would be too dangerous to give him anything to help him sleep.” Dr. Michaels frowned.

“What about the other cases of male pregnancies? Did any of those other men have trouble sleeping?”

Dr. Michaels hesitated before speaking again. “Honestly Agent, this is the first time in recorded history that a man has made it this far in a pregnancy. I’m afraid from this point on we are basically flying blind.”

“I beg your pardon? Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?” Natasha asked as she fought to keep her voice down. “I can’t believe neither Clint or Phil have told me this.”

“Last I heard Phil has no idea either.” Dr. Michaels confessed. “Clint demanded he not be told and until today the only other person who had any idea was Director Fury.”

“What a dumb ass, he would do something like that.” Natasha shook her head.

Dr. Michaels just nodded in agreement, having gotten to know his patient very well in the last few months. “I’ll be back in a week but don’t hesitate to call me if anything comes up.”

“I won’t and thank you for telling me Doctor.” Natasha replied before turning and heading back into the apartment. Grabbing the remote off the coffee table she quickly shut off the television before turning to face Clint. “Why the hell have you been keeping the fact that all the other male pregnancies in the past haven’t worked out? Don’t you think that is something that your fiancé should at least know?”

“Jesus, what were you doing out there? Torturing the good Doctor for information?” Clint asked as he glanced over at Eric before looking back at Natasha. “Do remember I need him alive in order to have this baby.”

“No unlike some people I know, when you ask Dr. Michaels a question he answers truthfully. Now why have you been keeping this huge fact to yourself? Don’t you realize what it would do to Phil if he lost you?”

“The Director beat you to this conversation a couple of months ago.” Clint replied with a sigh.

“The man is clearly smarter then I give him credit for but it seems like the conversation you two had didn’t really sink in through your thick stubborn skull.” Natasha replied as she crossed her arms and looked sternly down at Clint before glancing over at Eric. “Why aren’t you surprised to hear about this? Wait a moment, do you know already? Clint did you tell Eric this but not the rest of us?”

“Clint didn’t tell me anything.” Eric quickly said as he jumped up from the couch. “I already knew about the statics of male pregnancies as that’s how I lost my boyfriend and my unborn child.”

“Eric.” Natasha said softly, feeling horrible for yelling at him.

“Its fine Natasha, you didn’t know and believe me when I say I’ve been trying to talk some sense into Clint but you know how stubborn he can be.”

“He can be a pain in the ass.” Natasha replied.

Clint opened his mouth to respond to that comment when his laptop indicated he had a call. Knowing it could only be one person he sent Natasha a pleading glance. “Nat please, as my best friend you have to promise me you won’t say a word to Phil.”

“Fine, but only because it’s something he should hear in person and from you.” Natasha replied, as she walked over to grab the laptop and passed it to him. “I’ll be in the kitchen getting dinner together.”

“I’ll help you.” Eric said, giving Clint some privacy.

“Thanks you two.” Clint said before answering the call. “Hey Phil, how’s Malibu treating you?”

“This late in August its way too hot for my liking, nothing like the heat we get in New York. But hopefully I won’t be here for that much longer.”

“Did you finally manage to set up a meet with Stark?” Clint asked, as he adjusted the laptop screen.

“No but there is some charity event that is hosted by Stark Industries at the Walt Disney Concert Hall tonight so I hope to corner at least Stark or his assistant and instead of suggesting a meeting, I’ll set one up.” Phil smiled and silently studied Clint. “You look amazing and I miss you like crazy.”

“No, I don’t and I miss you more. I sleep better when you’re sleeping beside me.”

“I find that I can’t sleep alone anymore, it’s not the same when you’re not in my arms.” Phil told him. “Speaking of sleep are you getting enough?”

“Not as much as I would like but I can get at least four hours straight which is nicer than just an hour here and there.” Clint told him. “Dr. Michaels was just here actually and he was kind enough to let me know that I should only have six weeks left of being pregnant. I honestly don’t think I could take another six weeks of feeling like this.”

“I honestly think our daughter will get her patience or rather lack of from you so I don’t think it will be six weeks.” Phil chuckled.

“I’d loudly protest that but I know your most likely right.” Clint told him as he rubbed his aching side. “The fact that we could easily become parents at any given moment really hit me the other day. I had a miniature freak out but Nat and Eric were able to calm me down.”

“Like I said several months ago, this won’t be easy but together we can do this.” Phil assured him. “Just remember if our baby decides to make an appearance while I’m in Malibu you call me right away and I’ll be dropping this mission and letting Fury know he can take over.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do that. I love you Phil.”

“Love you too; I’ll talk to you tomorrow okay?”

“Looking forward to it, try and have a good time tonight.” Clint told him before blowing a kiss at the screen.

“I’ll try.” Phil sat there for a moment longer staring at the dark screen before closing the laptop and setting it aside. Glancing at the bedside clock he frowned as he still had several hours to go until this event started and from what he heard Stark, if he even bothers to show up at all will be late so no point in going earlier if he didn’t have to. Deciding the best course of action would be to take a nap he laid back and was quickly asleep.

Several hours later Phil was standing at the bar in the Walt Disney Concert Hall debating if he should have a drink while he was waiting. He was just getting ready to call the bartender over when he heard a group of reports announce that Tony Stark had just pulled up. Knowing he wouldn’t have to wait long before Stark came up to the bar he continued to stand there with his back to the room looking like he couldn’t decide what he wanted to drink.

“Give me a scotch I’m starving.”

“Mr. Stark.” Phil turned to smile at the man standing next to him.

“Yeah, huh?” Tony took his drink as he spared the man a sideways glance.

“Agent Coulson.” Phil prompted.

“Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, the guy from the…” Tony frowned as he glanced at his drink.

“Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.” Phil finished off, sensing he wouldn’t have this man’s attention for very long if at all.

“Whew! God, you really need a new name for that.” Tony told him as he brought his glass to his lips.

“Yeah, I hear that a lot.” Phil told him well mentally adding on his to Do List to get the name shortened. “Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you but we need to debrief you. There are still a lot of unanswered questions and time can be a factor with these things. Let’s just put something on the books, how about the twenty-forth at seven pm at Stark Industries?” Phil asked.

“Tell you what, you got it. You're absolutely right will ah, I’m going to go to my assistant and we’ll make a date.” Tony told him hold out his hand.

Phil glanced at it before grasping the other man’s hand in a firm hand shake. He watched as Stark made his way over to his assistant before they both headed on the dance floor. With a shake of his head he turned around and ordered a drink.


	29. Chapter 29

Three days later Phil was sitting in the waiting room off the main lobby of Stark Industries tower. He’d been informed that Mr. Stark wasn’t in today but that his assistant Ms. Potts was in and on her way down to the lobby. The sound of heels on the stairs had Phil looking up. “Ms. Potts? We had an appointment, did you forgot about our appointment?” Phil tried to keep the fact that he was annoyed out of his voice.

“No. Right now, come with me.” Pepper told him as she rushed to his side.

“Right now?” Phil asked as he got up.

“We’re going to have it right now yep, walk with me.” Pepper ordered.

“Okay.” Phil replied as he quickened his stride to match hers.

“Giving you the meeting of your life, your office.” Pepper told him.

“Okay.” Phil glanced at the woman who usually looked very calm and collected and looked completely the opposite of that today. “Would you rather follow me in your car or if you prefer I can drive your car over to the office.”

“What about your vehicle?” Pepper asked, as she spared a quick glance down at her shaky hands.

“I’ll get Agent Simmons to drive the car back.” Phil told her, as he gestured to the other agent. “Now where is your car parked?”

“Oh, it’s right here.” Pepper pointed out as she passed him her keys.

Phil started the car and waited until Pepper had buckled herself in before driving off to the field office in Los Angeles. Once they arrived he quickly pulled into the first empty parking spot in the garage and lead Pepper towards the elevator and from there they went into the conference room that was acting as his temporary office. Phil quickly put in the call to have a team ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Pepper glanced around the room in confusion. “Is this your office?”

“I work out of the main office in New York; this is just a temporary office while I’m here.” Phil replied as he led her to a chair and passed her a glass of water. “Now, Ms. Potts, tell me what is going on?”

“Tony asked me to come to his office and download some files onto this. I found evidence that proves Obadiah is the one who ordered Tony to be kidnapped and killed, he was trying to get rid of Tony so he could take over Stark Industries and on top of that I believe he’s building a new weapon.” Pepper told him as she placed the flash drive down on the table.

“Is it anything like the new suit Mr. Stark built?” Phil asked as he plugged the flash drive into his laptop.

“He’s working off Tony’s original design I believe.”

“Where is Mr. Stark now?” Phil asked as he quickly copied everything from the flash drive to his laptop.

“He should be at home, that’s where I last saw him.” Pepper replied.

Phil grabbed his service weapon off the shelf behind him. “Can you confirm that?”

Pepper nodded before she pulled out her cell and tried calling Tony on both his numbers. “He’s not answering his cell or the house phone.”

“Okay, do you have anyone you trust enough to send over there to check on him?” Phil asked, as they headed back towards the car.

“Oh, I’ll call Rhodey.” Pepper quickly said as she dialed again. “Rhodey, thank god, where are you? Are you close to Tony’s place? Good, I need you to go there and check on him. I found out the Obadiah paid to have Tony killed and I believe he going to make sure the job gets done himself. I don’t have time to explain. I don’t know, he isn’t answering his phone. Please go over there and make sure everything is okay, thank you Rhodey.” Pepper put her phone away and gestured for the car keys. “I know a short cut.”

“Sounds good, you five follow us.” Phil nodded at his follow agents before getting into the passenger seat of Pepper’s car.  With Pepper behind the wheel it didn’t take long to reach their destination. “He’s got the suit here?”

“I believe this is the place.” Pepper answered as she used her key card to get them in the building. “Were looking for section sixteen, section sixteen... there it is.” Pepper quickly walked over and tried her key several times. “My key, it’s not working, it’s not opening the door.”

Phil held his hand out to one of his agents and closed his hand around the device before stepping forward and placing it on the door and activating it.

“Oh wow, what’s that? Its like a little device; its like a thing that’s going to pick the lock?” Pepper asked as she glanced over his shoulder.

“You might want to take a few steps back.” Phil advised as he moved forward and crossed his arms across his chest. Hearing the door open he turned and lead the way down a flight of stairs to another door. Opening it he draws out his gun and the other agents followed his lead. Using hands signals only Phil lead the way down the catwalk with Pepper right behind him. Phil stepped down at the end of the crosswalk and walked up to the metal suit standing by the wall. “Looks like you were right. He was building a suit.”

“I thought it would be bigger.” Pepper commented.

Phil quickly signaled the agents to spread out and keep searching for Obadiah. He was further down on a lower catwalk with Agent Simmons trailing behind him when suddenly a loud scream filled the air followed by the sound of an explosion and the floor beneath them began to shake. When the ground beneath their feet stopped moving the two agents took off in the direction of the explosion. “What do we have?”

“Both Agents Markus and Reed are down but alive.” Agent Erickson replied.

“Where the hell did Ms. Potts go?” Phil asked as he looked around for the woman.

“Sir you need to come see this.” Agent Thompson yelled out.

Phil rushed over to the agent’s side and looked up at the large hole in the ceiling.

“What on earth made this?” Agent Thompson asked as he studied the damage.

“I don’t think we really want to know.” Phil answered. “I so don’t want to write the report on this one. Quick and easy mission my ass.”

“Agent Coulson there is no sign of Ms. Potts and we’re blocked off from the way we came.” Agent Sullick informed him as he rounded the corner. “But there is a back way out of here.”

“Okay, let’s get these two men out of the building and then I want you three to concentrate on damage control and don’t let any members of the press or the public too close.” Phil ordered before leading the agents out of the destroyed area. They managed to clear the building seconds before another larger explosion sent them flying off their feet. Phil shook his head to try and stop the ringing in his ears but to no effect. Cursing softly he turned to make sure the other agents were okay. “Agent Simmons you’re in charger here now. Make sure the scene stays secure.” Phil ordered before taking off towards the front of the building.

* * *

“Tony, Tony! Answer me god dammit.”

“Ms. Potts.” Phil ran up to the woman’s side and frowned as he glanced down at the still form of Stark.

“Tony had me blow up the arc reactor while both he and Obadiah where on the roof.” Pepper explained.

“Where is Obadiah now?”

“In there.” Pepper replied as she pointed to the collapsed and on fire building behind them. “He landed in the arc reactor just before it blew.”

That’s one thing taken care of then, Phil thought as he leaned down and searched for a pulse, it was slow but steady. Then he glanced at where the soft glow of light should be. “Okay, from what I understand, that not working is a very bad thing. Did Tony make a backup at all?”

“I… no I don’t think so.” Pepper replied as she glanced up at the sound of a vehicle approaching.

Phil stood up with his hand by his gun until he realized who was driving the car. “Colonel Rhodes, I’m Agent Coulson.” Phil said as the man in question got out of the car.

“Agent Coulson, please tell me that son of a bitch is dead.” Rhodey said as he stepped up to the agent, having not seen Pepper or Tony yet.

“Ms. Potts informs me he was killed when the arc reactor exploded.” Phil explained.

“Where are Pepper and Tony?” Rhodey asked as he glanced around.

“Over here but the arc reactor in Mr. Stark’s chest is no longer working. Please tell me you know something else we can use.”

Rhodey quickly turned back to the car and popped the hood up. “Tony told me that before he made the arc reactor for his chest a car battery was used to keep the shrapnel away from his heart.” Rhodey quickly went about removing the battery and plugs from under the hood. “It should do the trick for now until Tony can make another mini arc reactor.”

Phil glanced at the battery in the other man’s hands as he led Rhodey to where Tony was. “Are you going to be able to hook that up and get it to work?”

“I better, because if I don’t my best friend will die.” Rhodey muttered softly not wanting Pepper to hear.

Phil just nodded in reply before reaching in his pocket for his cell phone that suddenly started beeping like crazy. Glancing at it he swore softly when he realized that he had several missed calls along with a voice message and multiple text messages. He glanced at the time and realized that it would be almost two in the morning over in New York but knowing Clint wouldn’t sleep until he heard from him, Phil quickly dialed the other man’s cell.

“Phil, thank god are you okay?”

“I’m tired and ready to come home but other than that I’m fine.” Phil quickly reassured his panicked fiancé. “But how are you feeling, is the baby still kicking up a storm?”

“I’m thinking we should put her in gymnastics when she’s old enough but even with all her moving and what I’m pretty sure is a couple of bruised ribs I actually spent most of the day sleeping, so I’m feeling good.”

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt for you to get some more sleep. I should be home by tomorrow night; I just have one last bit of business to take care of.”

“You promise?”

“Yes, Clint I promised, now get yourself to bed and I will see you tomorrow.”

“I love you Phil.”

“I love you too.” Phil told him before disconnecting the call and turning to study all the damage caused by the battle between the two suits. With a deep sigh, he dialed another number. If he was going to be up all night trying to contain this disaster and on top of it write a cover story for what happen and for Stark’s whereabouts tonight, then he wasn’t going to be alone on this. “Director, its Coulson. Sorry to call at such a late hour but we need to discuss the situation over here right away. Also, I’m coming home tomorrow so the fun part is up to you.”

* * *

Phil stayed for the start of Rhodes press conference before heading back towards the room off to the side.

“Iron Man, that’s kind of catchy, it’s got a nice ring to it, I mean it’s not technically accurate the suit’s a gold titanium alloy but its kind of proactive the imagery here anyway.” Tony was saying to Pepper as he read the paper.

“Here’s your alibi.” Phil told him as he handed over the cards he had finished working on only hours ago.

“Okay.” Tony replied as he took the cards.

“You were on your yacht.” Phil decided to quickly go over what he had written to insure that Stark understood that he needed to say what was on those cards.

“Yeah.”

“We have port papers that put you in Avalon all night and sworn statements from fifty of your guests.”

“See, I was thinking that we should just say it was just Pepper and me, alone on the island.” Tony told him as he grinned over at Pepper.

“That’s what happened.” Phil told him, keeping the grin off his face when Pepper just scoffed at her boss.

“All right.” Tony sighed, before quickly reading through the cards.

“Just read it word for word.” Phil decided that beating around the bush was most definitely not the way to go with this man.

“There’s nothing about Stane here.” Tony pointed out, looking up at Phil for the first time.

“That’s being handled. He’s on vacation. Small aircrafts have such a poor safety record.” Phil shrugged.

“What about the whole cover story, that it’s a bodyguard? He’s my body… That’s kind of flimsy don’t you think?”

“This isn’t my first rodeo Mr. Stark, just stick to the official statement and soon this will all be behind you. You’ve got, ninety-seconds.” Phil told him before heading towards the door, more than ready to put this place behind him as soon as humanly possible.

“Agent Coulson, I just wanted to say thank, you very much for all of your help.” Pepper told him as she followed him to the door.

“That’s what we do. You’ll be hearing from us.”

“From the Strategic Homeland…”

“Just call us SHIELD.” Phil interrupted her as his cell phone started ringing.

“Right.” Pepper smiled.

“Sorry, I have to get this.” Phil told her as he caught the name on the call display.

“Oh, please, go ahead.” Pepper told him, taking a step back to give him privacy.

“Coulson.”


	30. Chapter 30

Clint managed to fall asleep within minutes after talking to Phil and for the first time in almost a month he ended up sleeping for ten hours straight. He started to wake slowly at first and noticed that the kicking had finally eased up. It wasn’t until he shifted a bit to try and become more comfortable that he noticed something was wrong and was wide awake instantly. Suddenly a sharp pain in his abdomen had Clint leaning forward as he tried to ride out the pain as best as he could. Just as the fear threatened to over whelm him he felt the reassuring movement of his baby. “Looks like your Daddy was right, you’re not one to wait.” Taking a deep breath he grabbed his cell phone and sent a quick text to Natasha before dialing a number. “Hey Doc, I think my baby has decided its time. Oh trust me, I’m sure. Okay, sounds good.” Clint disconnected the call just as Natasha came into the room.

“Okay, what is so important you had to send me a text saying; get your ass in here asap?” Natasha asked as she stepped up to the bed.

“I’m having a baby.”

“I already know… wait do you mean right now?”

“Well, not this second, but yeah I’m pretty sure she’s ready. I already called Dr. Michaels and he’s on his way over now.” Clint told her. “Can you please grab me a zip up hoodie and my grey jogging pants? And where is Eric?”

“He got called in by Fury.” Natasha answered as she headed to the closet.

While Natasha was grabbing the requested items, Clint eased himself to the edge of the bed and picking up his cell phone again he dialed another number.

“Coulson.”

“Hey Phil, I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

“It’s never a bad time. Actually I was just getting ready to head back to the Malibu headquarters to get everything packed up so I can come home.”

“Good, well that’s good.” Clint paused.

“Is everything okay?”

“Not really. You were right by the way; our baby wasn’t going to wait six weeks longer. So you better get your ass on a jet right now and get home.”

“I’m heading towards the airport as we speak. How are you doing?”

“I’m starting to freak out because you’re not here but other than that I’m doing okay so far.” Clint glanced up as Dr. Michaels walked into the room.

“I’ll be there as soon as I possibly can; I won’t miss our daughter’s first seconds in this world.”

“You better not, or I’ll kick your ass.” Clint glanced up at Natasha as she held out her hand. “Nat wants to talk to you and I need to get some clothes on so we can head over to medical.”

“Okay, Clint I love you and I will see you really soon.”

“Love you too.” Clint replied before passing the phone to Natasha.

“Don’t worry Phil; he’s in the best of hands right now.” Natasha reassured the other man. “Also, I just put a quick call in with the Director. He has a jet fueled and ready to go at the airport and then once you land in New York there is a helicopter that will fly you directly to headquarters.”

“Thanks Natasha. Please try and update me as often as you possibly can.”

“Don’t worry I will. See you soon Phil.” Natasha disconnected the call and put the cell phone in her pocket. Turning she studied her friend before turning to Dr. Michaels. “How are we getting him downstairs?”

“I brought a wheelchair with me.” Dr. Michaels replied as he headed out into the hallway to grab it.

“Don’t be silly Doc; I can walk down to the car.” Clint told him as he attempted to stand.

“You’re not walking anywhere.” Natasha told him as she rushed to his side. “You can’t even stand.”

Clint gritted his teeth but another wave of pain had him sitting back down on the bed. “Okay your right, I’ll sit in the damn chair.”

“We weren’t going to give you any other option.” Dr. Michaels informed him as he wheeled the chair in. “How high would you rate your pain?”

“It’s about a six but its still manageable.” Clint answered once he was seated in the car. “Doc, will we be able to wait for Phil?”

“I won’t know until were in medical but if the baby is in any sort of distress we can’t afford to wait.” Dr. Michaels told him as they left the apartment.

Once they arrived at medical, Clint was quickly put in a gown and into a bed with something to help manage the pain. Dr. Michaels did a quick ultrasound while one of the nurses went about setting up the vital monitor for both Clint and the baby.

“This is good, she is showing no signs of distress but we will keep a close eye on her vitals as the second that changes I’m moving you in for an emergency C-section. Normally this could be risky when you’re only thirty-four weeks along but this isn’t a normal situation.” Dr. Michaels explained. “Now I went over everything with you and Phil about the Caesarean section before he went out of town and what may or may not happen. In your case we will be using [regional anesthesia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_anesthesia) so you’ll be awake for the procedure but won’t feel a thing. Do you remember the possible side effects we discussed?”

Clint just nodded at the doctor’s words, too terrified to speak.

Natasha reached over and squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Everything is going to be okay Clint. I just sent Phil a text letting him know how you were doing and where we were at. He’s in the air already and he should be here within four and half hours or less.”

“It’s a five hour flight at least; please tell me he doesn’t have a gun to the pilot’s head.”

“It’s the first thing I asked him and he assured me he doesn’t.”

“I’m so glad you’re here right now.” Clint told her as he squeezed her hand back before turning his attention back to the doctor. “The one thing we never discussed was my returning to the field. Do you have an idea on how long that will be?”

“Typically, the recovery time depends on the patient and their pain tolerance and inflammation levels. But I’ll be recommending that you avoid strenuous work for up to six months but depending on your recovery it could be more or it could be less.” Dr. Michaels answered. “Now I’m going to go and make sure the OR is properly prepped as this will be the first baby born in this building. I’ll be back in a bit to check on you but if anything changes you just call me.”


	31. Chapter 31

Phil was on the ground and running even before the helicopter could land on the roof of the New York Headquarters. The fear he had felt when Natasha called him ten minutes ago to tell him that something had happened and Dr. Michaels was rushing Clint into the OR was now threating to take Phil over. He had repeatedly tried to ask Natasha what happened but couldn’t get a straight answer out of her. The doors of the elevator finally opened on medical and Phil raced down the hallway until he came across Natasha and Eric.

It was Eric who noticed him first. “Natasha, he’s here.”

Natasha turned around and rushed towards Phil. “Thank god you made it in time. Eric, can you please go tell them that Phil is here.”

Eric nodded and patted Phil’s shoulder before turning and rushing down the hallway.

“Natasha, please tell me what’s going on, is Clint okay?” Phil asked as he allowed Natasha to guide him into a chair.

“Clint’s fine Phil, they had to rush him into the OR because the baby started showing signs of distress.” Natasha assured him.

“Is the baby okay?”

“We haven’t heard anything yet but we were told to let them know when you arrived.”

“Okay.” Phil nodded. “Can you at least tell me what happened? I mean did Dr. Michaels say if whatever happened is common in male pregnancies?”

Natasha bit her lip as she look down at her hands. “Phil… Dr. Michaels didn’t really tell us anything.”

Phil frowned as he studied Natasha who was doing her best to look anywhere but at him, which was odd behavior for her. “Why do I get the feeling there is something you’re not telling me?”

“I’m sorry Phil, but this is something Clint needs to tell you himself and I promised him that I wouldn’t say a word to you.” Natasha answered as she finally looked him in the eyes.

Phil frowned but seeing Eric coming back stopped him from saying anything further.

“Phil, I was told to send you to the first OR down the hall. Dr. Michaels has a nurse outside the room waiting for you.” Eric told him.

“Thank you.” Phil said as got up. “Thank you both of you, as soon as I know anything I’ll let you know.” Phil gave Natasha’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze before heading down the hall. He went around the corner and was greeted by a familiar nurse. “Jessica, I hope I’m not too late.”

“Perfect timing, Dr. Michaels was just getting ready to begin.” Jessica said as she steered him into a room. “We just have to get a gown and cap on you and we can go in.”

Phil’s hands were trembling as he placed the cap on his head and was glad he had Jessica to help him with the gown.

“Okay, we are all set.” Jessica smiled at him. “Just follow me.”

Phil nodded and followed her into the OR that was filled with people but his eyes focused on one person only. His hands were still trembling as he took one of Clint’s in his. “Sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”

“You’re here now and that’s all that matters.” Clint told him as he squeezed Phil’s hand. “Are you okay? You’re shaking.”

Phil leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his lips. “I should be asking you that question, Clint what happened? Natasha wasn’t able to answer any of my questions. All I know is that one moment everything is fine and the next she tells me you’re being rushed into the OR. What is it that I’m not being told?”

“The baby was showing signs of distress, we don’t know why yet but for now she is stable.” Dr. Michaels responded for Clint. “The anesthesia has taken effect; I need to begin the procedure immediately before something happens.”

“Phil there is something that I’ve been keeping from you.”

“Clint, I thought we promised we’d never lie to each other.”

“I’ve never lied to you.” Clint replied. “Can we just please talk about this later?”

“Of course.” Phil said as he nodded at Dr. Michaels. “Clint I’m sorry, I’m just… well I guess freaking out is a good word to use and when there is something that affects your well-being I want to know about it.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Clint told him as he squeezed Phil’s hand again.

Phil kept his eyes locked onto Clint’s for most of the procedure. It wasn’t until he heard his daughter crying did he look up over the curtain. Having never seen a newborn before, Phil was amazed at how tiny she was in the doctor’s hands. “Oh Clint, she’s beautiful and so small.”

“She has a healthy pair of lungs too.” Dr. Michaels was grinning widely under his mask. Once the umbilical cord was cut, the nurses lowered the curtain and Dr. Michaels placed the baby in Clint’s arms. “She’s quite the little miracle.”

Tears were streaming down Clint’s cheeks as he gently ran his fingers over his daughter’s head as she stopped crying and nuzzled into his chest. “Look at all this hair she already has. Hello Tasha, your dad and I are so happy that you're finally here.”

Phil could feel the tears starting to run down his face as he took in the sight of Clint holding their daughter in his arms. Leaning down he kissed Clint deeply. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” Clint replied, as he took the blanket the nurse passed him. With a natural instinct he wasn’t even aware he had, Clint gently wrapped their daughter in a blanket before looking up at Phil. “Your turn to hold her.”

All traces of being nervous washed away the moment Tasha was settled in his arms. He traced one of his fingers over hers and smiled when she ended up clutching his finger in her tiny hand. “The things I’d do to keep you safe.” Phil mumbled before kissing the top of her head.

Clint smiled as he watched the different emotions run over the face of the man he loved as Phil rocked their daughter while she stared up at him for the first time. It was the picture he held in his mind as his vision slowly started to fade and the world went dark.


	32. Chapter 32

“Will you relax Phil; I’m not going to drop my Goddaughter.”

“I never said you would drop her, I was just saying maybe if you angled your arm…”

“I swear if you touch my arm I will punch you.” Natasha told him as she took a step back. “When it comes to babies women have a natural instinct on what to do.”

“Oh really, then why did you look like I was about to hand you a live grenade when I first past her to you.”

“I think she looked more like you handed her a time bomb.” Eric chimed in. “But that could just be those natural instincts.”

“I have no problem handling live grenades or bombs for that matter.” Natasha said, almost insulted by the thought.

“You’ll have to forgive Phil; he’s going to be over protective of his baby girl for many years to come.” Clint told her as he slowly sat up. “But you can punch Eric in the arm as he’s just being an ass.”

Phil quickly rushed to Clint’s side to support him. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m sore and still pretty tired.” Clint replied. “What happened? I remember watching you hold Tasha then everything went dark.”

“You started bleeding suddenly and because of the sudden blood loss you passed out.” Phil told him. “Dr. Michaels was able to stop the bleeding quickly so there is no worry of complications.”

Clint nodded as Natasha came forward and placed a now sleeping Tasha in his arms. “How is she?”

“Dr. Michaels said that she is perfectly healthy even though she was born a few weeks premature.” Phil told him. “That being said, he want’s both of you to stay here for observations for a few days.”

“I can live with that.” Clint smiled as he glanced up at his two closest friends. “Thanks for staying with Phil and making sure he didn’t go crazy with worry.”

“Not an easy task but we managed.” Eric replied. “Well, I hate to go but I’ve been given my first assignment.”

“When did the Director assign you to a handler?” Clint asked.

“Just before he took off for Malibu.” Eric answered. “It’s the reason why I wasn’t at the apartment earlier.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Natasha asked.

“I forgot all about it the moment you sent me a text saying we had a baby coming today.” Eric shrugged. “That’s bigger and better news.”

“Well, are you going to tell us who you’ve been assigned to or do we have to guess?” Clint asked.

Eric muttered something softly as a blush crossed his face.

A smile broke across Natasha’s face as she was standing next to Eric and was able to hear him. “Good for you Eric, that’s a good team to be on. Also they’ve all been trained by Phil so you know you’re working with the best.”

“Congratulations on being assigned to a handler Eric, you’re officially an agent now.” Phil told him.

“Thank you, I was a bit shocked to hear that I had been requested by one of the senior agents.”

“Congrats Eric, you’ll be great.” Clint told him before leaning over towards Phil. “I told you there was something going on between those two at dinner a month ago.”

“I’m not going to call you the world’s greatest matchmaker.” Phil replied.

“You’re no fun.” Clint said as he started rocking Tasha as she began to fuss.

A light knocking on the door had everyone glancing over as Jasper walked into the room. “I hope I’m not interrupting, I just wanted to come by and offer my congratulations before my team and I have to leave.”

“Jasper.” Clint beamed. “We were just talking about you. Eric is quite excited to be working under… I mean, with you.”

“Clint.” Eric hissed as his face flushed once more.

“What?” Clint asked, easily faking ignorance while Phil just rolled his eyes at his fiancé obviousness.

“I’m excited to have him join me as well.” Jasper replied easily as he flashed a smile at Eric.

“Lord, I’m never going to hear the end of this now.” Phil muttered as he watched the heated looks pass between the two men.

“When do you both have to leave?” Clint asked.

“Actually, the other three are already waiting for us at the jet so we better get going.” Jasper said as he stepped up to the bed. “Gosh, she’s a cutie.”

“Do you want to hold her?” Clint asked.

“I would but we really have to get going I’m afraid. But congratulations on becoming parents, it looks like she got her looks from her momma.” Jasper said as he shook Phil’s hand.

“Thank you and with my luck Tasha will most likely have Clint’s temperament as well.” Phil replied.

Clint started to respond to that remark when Tasha suddenly began to cry. “Oh, somebody is hungry.”

“I’ll go warm up a bottle.” Phil said as he got up. “Good luck on this mission and we’ll see you two when you get back.”

“Thanks Phil.” Eric said as he turned to Clint. “I’ll try my best to keep in touch.”

“Stay safe out there.” Clint told him as he pulled Eric in for a one armed hug.

“Don’t worry I will.” Eric smiled as he pulled away before turning and giving Natasha a hug.

“Good luck on your first mission and remember we are a phone call away if you need to talk with anyone.” Natasha told him.

“Thanks.” Eric replied, before turning and following Jasper out of the room.

“Well.” Natasha sighed, as she sat down on the bed. “I hate to leave so soon as well but Fury has requested I come out to Malibu right away. It seems he has a full time detail job he wants me on.”

“What kind of job? Please tell me not as a full time babysitter, because even you would have your hands full with that job.” Phil asked as he walked back with a warm bottle in hand.

“I’m not sure; the only thing Fury asked was if I was up to date with American laws.” Natasha shrugged. “I’m not really sure what he has planned.”

“How long is this detailed job going to last?” Clint asked as he took the bottle from Phil.

“I’m not really sure as the only answer he would give me was for the foreseeable future.” Natasha told him. “So maybe with some luck I’ll only be there for a little while. I really don’t want to miss watching my Goddaughter grow up.”

“Don’t worry we will video conference every chance we get.” Clint replied as began feeding Tasha. “So hopefully we get lucky and you’ll only be gone for a little while.”

“I hope so.” Natasha smiled as she leaned down and kissed Clint’s cheek then Tasha’s before turning to Phil. “I know you’ll take good care of them.”

“Of course and take care of yourself Natasha.” Phil told her as she pulled him into a hug.

“I’ll talk to both of you as soon as I’m settled in Malibu.” Natasha said as she pulled back and quickly left the room before either of them could notice the tears in her eyes.


	33. Chapter 33

“We really should be sleeping right now.”

“I’m almost afraid to close my eyes; I’m worried that when I wake up that this will turn out to be a dream.”

Phil pulled Clint closer and kissed him softly. “I promise you this isn’t a dream but we really should put Tasha in her crib and try to get some sleep.”

Sighing softly, Clint lifted Tasha in his arms and kissed her cheek before passing her to Phil. He watched as Phil placed her in the crib and placed the blanket that Natasha and Eric had gotten over her. “Phil we still need to finish our earlier conversation and I really think we should do that now.”

Phil paused a moment before turning and walking back to the bed. “Clint we don’t have to talk about that now, we’ve both had a long day and you must be exhausted.”

Clint pulled Phil down to him. “Please Phil; it’s important to me that we talk before we go to sleep.” 

Phil leaned on his side and watched Clint for a moment. “Okay, I’m listening.”

Clint let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Before he released me from medical, Dr. Michaels told me something important. Something you had the right to know about but I made the stupid and very wrong decision not to tell you. I even made Dr. Michaels swear to me that he would never tell you but…” Clint paused as he glanced down at their joint hands. “He wasn’t the only one; I ended up dragging Nat, Eric and even the Director into keeping this information from you. Phil you need to know our daughter is quite literally a miracle and according to the statistics the fact that she’s come into this world should be quite impossible.”

“What do you mean?” Phil asked as he sat up. “When Dr. Michaels told me that you were pregnant I easily remember him telling me that male pregnancies are extremely rare but not unheard of, and I’m pretty sure the doctor wouldn’t make something like that up.”

“This is true male pregnancies not unheard of but for a man to successfully carry and then delivery a healthy baby, well that is unheard of.” Clint told him as he also sat up, wincing as the stitches pulled. “Up until now the furthest a male pregnancy went was just to the start of the third term but the doctors couldn’t save Ryan or the baby.”

“Wait a second, Ryan… as in Eric’s Ryan?” Phil asked as he got off the bed.

“Yes.” Clint replied softly as he watched Phil pace next to the bed.

“I guess this explains why you looked so relieved that I got called away the day you introduced me to Eric, I had just assumed you were worried that I would go through with one of my many threats if we were in the same room for too much longer.” Phil said as he stopped pacing and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“I was afraid that you would ask the wrong questions.”

“So you basically kept from me for months that I could easily lose you and the baby. Why would you do something like that? Don’t you know how much I love you and what it would have done to me if I had lost you?”

Clint slid forward carefully until he was seated next to Phil. “We both wanted the baby so badly and to start a family and I was afraid that if that was no longer a possibility that you would leave me.”

“Leave you?” Phil turned to face Clint and took both his hands in his. “Where on earth did you come up with that crazy notion?”

Clint shrugged. “It’s what people in my life have done. I disappoint them or can’t be who they want me to be and they leave. I couldn’t bear the thought of you doing the same, your one of the few good things in my life.”

“The people in your life before me where idiots and didn’t realize what a good thing they we’re leaving behind. Clint, I promise you that I will never leave you not even if you asked me to. I love you too much. But you should have told me the risks involved and we could have talked and made a decision together, this shouldn’t have been something you had to handle on your own.” Phil then pulled Clint into his arms. “Why didn’t you want to tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry about me more than you already were.” Clint shrugged.

“Is that all?”

“In our first real conversation, Eric told me that he and Ryan got into a fight and nearly ended things once they learned of the statics of male pregnancies. Ryan wanted to have the baby and Eric didn’t think it was worth the risk.”

“So you thought that I would make you have an abortion.” Phil let out a heavy sigh as he pulled Clint in closer and looked over to where their daughter slept. Not even a full day in their lives and he couldn’t imagine her not in it. “Clint you know I would have never forced you to do anything you didn’t want to do.”

“I know and I’m sorry Phil. It was the dumbest decision I’ve ever made keeping this from you. I should have been totally honest from the beginning. Last time there was a secret between us it nearly tore us apart and I don’t want that to happen again.”

“It’s not going to happen again.” Phil assured him.

Clint closed his eyes and rested his head on Phil’s chest. “What would you have said if I had told you about the statics?”

“I…” Phil started and then paused. “I honestly don’t know what I would have said but one thing is for sure I would have never gone to Malibu and that reminds me that I need to speak with Nick when he gets back. I can’t believe he knew and was still willing to send me across the country, if something had happen I would never had been able to forgive him.”

“Nothing happened; well I went into labour several weeks earlier than planned but in the grand scheme of things Nick isn’t at fault. I swore him to secrecy and you should know he wasn’t the least bit happy about it.” Clint told him. “So if you’re going to be angry at anyone it should be me.”

“I’m not angry at anyone, least of all you.” Phil told him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Clint replied just as soft cries started to fill the room. “It sounds like someone doesn’t want to sleep alone in her crib tonight.”

“No, it doesn’t, I’ll get her you need to stay in bed.” Phil said as he got out of bed and went to their daughter. He lifted Tasha out of her crib and rocked her in arms while softly humming her back to sleep.

“Phil, love… are you humming the Captain America theme song?”


	34. Chapter 34

Dr. Michaels smiled as he walked into the room. “Good Morning you two, how did the first night go?”

“Morning Doc.” Clint waved. “It went really well, Tasha woke up once but slept right through the night for the most part.”

“Excellent and it looks like she taken to the bottle with ease so that good.” Dr. Michaels said as watched Phil feed Tasha. “The nurse also said she handled her first shots and the bath like a trooper.”

Phil smiled at the memory of the nurse showing them how to bath Tasha and how their little girl cried until her bottom hit the warm water. “Yes, we think we may have a water girl on our hands.”

“Wait until she figures splashing out, then will be in trouble.” Clint laughed.

“Well,since Tasha is eating, do you mind if we start by checking you first?” Dr. Michaels asked as he approached the bed.

“Go ahead Doc.” Clint told him as he pulled his gown up.

Putting his gloves on Dr. Michaels quickly expected the stitches and the skin that was already in the process of healing. “You heal faster than most people but still you need to take it easy until this is completely healed and I don’t want you doing anything strenuous for at least five to six months and I’ll want to clear you before you decided to go back to work. Also I’m not sure what your plans are but I advise that you wait at least eighteen months or more before you conceive again, understood?”

“Yes, loud and clear.” Clint replied as he shot a quick glance at Phil.

Dr. Michaels moved over to Phil and Tasha. “May I?”

“Of course.” Phil put the empty bottle down before passing his daughter over.

“She really is a beautiful baby.” Dr. Michaels smiled as Tasha gripped his finger. “You can’t even really tell that she was born a few weeks too early. Also judging from all the empty bottles it won’t take her long to start growing. She’s a very healthy and happy newborn.”

“When can we take her home?” Clint asked as the doctor placed Tasha in his arms.

“I want you both here for at least one more night and I’ll come back and check on you tomorrow morning and see where we go from there. But if everything looks good, I’ll release you both in the afternoon.”

“Thank you for everything Dr. Michaels.” Phil said as held out his hand.

“It was my pleasure. Now remember, if you two need anything no matter what time it is you have my cell.” Dr. Michaels shook Phil’s hand before heading to the door. “Oh, sorry about that Director, didn’t see you there.”

“It’s okay.” Director Fury took a step back to allow the Doctor to pass him before stepping into the room and for a moment he silently observed his oldest friend and his new family. “I hope I’m not interrupting but I wanted to come down and see our newest member of SHIELD and congratulate the both of you.”

“Nick, thank you.” Phil smiled as he gestured his friend over. “Now get over here and meet your Goddaughter.”

Fury’s steps faltered for a moment at those words but he soon found himself standing by the bed holding a sleeping baby in his arms. “She’s ah… small.”

Clint chuckled at the look on the Director’s face. “She’ll get bigger.”

“How was your brief time in Miami?” Phil asked.

Fury glanced up. “It was… educational. I’ve got Romanoff in to keep eyes on our man.”

Phil nodded. “It’s too soon to bring him in isn’t in.”

“I don’t think he’s ready yet but we can only hope that when the time comes he’ll be ready.”

“So is now a good time to finish our earlier discussion?” Phil asked.

“And what earlier discussion would that be?” Fury asked, as he glanced down only to realize he was being watched.

“I want at least the next six months off and if everything is working out I’ll be back in March.”

“And if something comes up within those six months?”

“Nick you gave me your word, besides Maria is more than capable of handling things on her own.”

“Fine, take all the time you need.” Fury grumbled.

“And there is one more thing.” Phil said as he took Clint’s hand in his before glancing back at his oldest friend. “This is actually something I’ve been thinking about for some time now and I talked to Clint about it this morning and he’s supporting my decision.”

“I have a feeling I’m not going to like what your about to say.” Fury sighed as he finally glanced up.

“I’ve decided that I’m going to step down as one of your second in commands and most of my duties that comes with that job to Maria.” Phil replied. “Of course I will remain as the agent in charge of our project and will also continue working with all the potential recruits and rookies. Also any major assignments that you require me to work on I’ll do it, so long as it doesn’t take me away from my family for a long period of time.”

“I understand and respect your decision Phil. I’ll miss having you as one of my seconds but I know that you’ll still remain my one good eye.” Fury told him, as he held a hand out.

Phil took it and shook it. “Maybe this way the council will get of your back a bit, I’ve known for some time that they want Maria and only Maria as your second.”

Fury chuckled as he passed Tasha back to Clint. “The council seems to think because the two of us butt heads from time to time that she’ll toss me under the bus when the time comes. Those idiots don’t realize that if I didn’t trust her she would have never shared the spot of second in command with you. Well I should get back to work; I still have some damage control to deal with thanks to one Mr. Anthony Stark.”

“Good luck with that Sir, from what I’ve heard he’s a bit of a handful.” Clint grinned.

“I’ve dealt with my share of handful people Agent.” Fury replied as he paused by the door. “I almost forgot. I’m sending a couple of rookies over to bring in your car. I assume you’ll both want a change of clothes?”

Phil glanced down at the wrinkled suit he’d been wearing since the night of the explosion at Stark Industries. “That would be nice.”

“I actually had a bag packed just in case; it’s in the hall closet.” Clint answered. “But in our panic I forgot all about it.”

“I’ll let them know.” Fury nodded. “I’ll talk to both of you soon.”


	35. Chapter 35

Neither Phil nor Clint got much sleep the first few weeks after they brought Tasha home. At first Tasha would only sleep if she was lying on one of their chests and would wake up crying the moment they tried setting her down in the crib. Eventually after many nights of trying they were finally able to lay her down in her crib to sleep for few hours until she woke up to eat. They briefly talked about working out a schedule on who would get out of bed to feed her at night but both enjoyed the quiet time they got to spend as a family when most of the city was asleep that they never bothered. The following months went by quickly and most days it was just the three of them in the apartment but there was the odd weekend that Natasha was able to get away from Malibu and spend time with them. It wasn’t long before she was pushing them out of the apartment for a couple of hours so she could spend quality time with her Goddaughter without the two of them hovering. Soon the Christmas holiday rolled around and even though Tasha was too young to realize the importance of the holiday it was still her first Christmas.

“So turns out that Eric and Jasper will be stuck on that mission in Europe for another few months. Natasha can’t get away from Malibu because of some crazy shenanigans that Stark is up to which also drew both Nick and Maria out of town.” Clint said as he came walking into the nursery with a bottle in his hand. “And I just got off the phone with the Doc and it turns out he and his wife are going skiing in Vermont for the holidays, which is weird if you ask me. Why wouldn’t you go someplace warm?”

“Errr, there are a few people who enjoy winter outdoor sport actives; I personally have never seen what’s so great about it.” Phil replied as finished putting Tasha into her sleepwear.

“My thought’s exactly.” Clint frowned as he sat down in the rocker. “I was really hoping that some of our friends could be here with us to celebrate our first Christmas as a family.”

“It will still be an amazing Christmas with just the three of us.” Phil told him as he placed Tasha in Clint’s arms.

Clint placed the bottle in Tasha’s mouth before looking back up at Phil. “I know it’s just that I miss all of them. We’ve only been able to video conference with Eric and Jasper a handful of times since they left for this mission and thanks to Stark and his Starkness, Nat hasn’t been able to get out of Malibu for the last month.”

“Starkness?” Phil questioned, his lips twisting up.

“Shut up, I’m upset right now and that’s the best I could come up with.” Clint replied, fighting to keep the frown on his face. “Why aren’t you more upset about this?”

“I am upset but we know that sometimes this job keeps people in the field over the holidays.” Phil shrugged. “Remember how we spent our first Christmas together?”

“I almost want to say that one doesn’t count but since I’m pretty sure that I am holding the result of that day’s festivities in my arms I’ll allow it.” Clint replied as he smiled down at their daughter.

“That was our last day in Italy before we came back to the states.”

“Yeah and I didn’t see much of you for the next few weeks after that day.” Clint replied, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“Clint.” Phil sighed softly, knowing this would always be a sore subject between them regardless of how much time had passed.

“It’s okay Phil, I’m just not sure how you’re going to top last year’s Christmas present. She was a late gift but totally worth the wait, though most people expect jewelry before babies.” Clint smiled up at Phil as he flashed his naked ring finger.

“You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out.” Phil smiled.

“You don’t want to start a tradition of opening a present or two on Christmas Eve?”

“Don’t be silly, you can wait one more night to open presents.” Phil said as he took the empty bottle from Clint.

“Well I guess there is one bright side on people not being able to join us tomorrow.” Clint said as he stood up.

“What’s that?”

“I won’t have to cook a huge meal.” Clint said as he tucked a blanket around Tasha’s sleeping form.

“What are you talking about, you love cooking for everyone.” Phil said, as he turned off the light in the nursery.

“I was trying to falsely cheer myself up.” Clint said as he unplugged the Christmas tree. “But speaking of dinner, did you get to the store to pick up the last few things we needed?”

“No.” Phil replied as he followed Clint into their bedroom.

“No?” Clint stopped at stared at Phil. “What do you mean no?”

“I mean no I didn’t go to the store.” Phil answered as he started to get undressed.

Clint continued to stare at Phil for half a second before moving to the bed and grabbing one of the pillows he waited until the other man had turned around and let the pillow fly. A smirk crossed his face as his weapon of choice hit his target. “So what exactly are we doing for dinner tomorrow night then?”

“I thought we could go out for dinner.” Phil answered as he picked the pillow up.

“You want to go out for dinner on Christmas night, is that really a good idea with Tasha?” Clint asked as started to undress.

“Well I figured we could do an early dinner and besides most of the restaurants will be empty.” Phil replied as he climbed into the bed.

“I take it you’ve already made the reservations?” Clint asked as he crawled in next to Phil.

“Yes.” Phil replied as he pulled Clint towards him.

Clint rested his chin on Phil’s chest. “Are you going to tell me where?”

“It’s a surprise.” Phil told him as he threaded Clint’s hair through his fingers.

“You know I hate surprise.”

“Oh trust me you’ll enjoy this one.”

“Okay then.” Clint replied before rolling away from Phil and opening the nightstand drawer.

“What are you doing?” Phil asked as leaned up on his elbows.

“I’m giving you an early Christmas present.”

“I thought I told you earlier we could wait until the morning to start opening presents.”

“Technically speaking this present isn’t wrapped and I didn’t think it be appropriate to use this gift in front of our daughter.” Clint smirked as he threw a box at Phil.

Phil stared down at the box of condoms before looking back up at Clint. “Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure.” Clint rolled his eyes as he moved to straddle Phil. “As I’ve been saying for the last few weeks the infection around the incision on my abdomen is all healed up and I even got medical permission for more strenuous activates. If you don’t believe me, we can always call the doc and he can tell you himself.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Phil replied as he set the box down and pulled Clint down so their lips could meet. 


	36. Chapter 36

It was quiet, too quiet. Phil glanced over and noted that he was alone in the bed before glancing over at the clock, it was past ten o’clock on Christmas morning and he was just waking up. Getting out of bed, Phil walked over to the dresser and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt before heading out of the bedroom. Seeing that the kitchen door was closed he headed in that direction. He opened the door and just stood there, a smile crossed his face at the scene before him. Clint stood at the counter with Tasha on his hip and was softly singing to her as he poured batter onto the waffle maker. A light coating of flour covered the kitchen cupboard and floor around them and Phil noted that both had flour in their hair. “So did any of the flour make it into the batter?”

Clint turned around and shifted Tasha in his arms; both had flour on their faces as well. “Good morning Daddy. Tasha wanted to help make breakfast and we had a small incident with the flour but we got what we needed.”

“It smells very good.” Phil replied as he walked up to them, he kissed Clint’s cheek before taking Tasha into his arms and kissed her cheek as well. “Did she wake up at all last night?”

“Do you mean after you passed out when I finished thoroughly using your body?” Clint asked with a cheeky smirk on his face.

“Yes.” Phil replied, a light blush crossed his face. “In my defense it had been awhile.”

“I’m teasing you Phil and she did wake up briefly but went back to sleep after she had a bottle.” Clint replied as he placed a plate full of waffles down on the kitchen table. “Then she slept until seven and you were sleeping so peacefully I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“Well next time it will be your turn to sleep in.” Phil responded. “Besides breakfast what else did you two do this morning?”

“We were trying to figure out what Tasha wanted to wear for dinner tonight, but since I wasn’t really sure where you're planning on taking us I just picked out a couple of dresses and you can pick the one that will work best.”

“Did you happen to pull the adorable white dress that Natasha brought last time she was here?” Phil asked as he set Tasha in her high chair. “That dress would be perfect.”

“The white one it is.” Clint replied as wiped the flour hand print off Phil’s cheek before he bent down to try and wipe the flour of Tasha’s face and arms. Tasha protested for half a moment before getting distracted by her new vantage point. “It’s hard to believe she’s four months old today.”

“Time flies by too fast sometimes.” Phil replied as he quickly snapped a picture of Tasha sitting in her high chair for the first time. “Who’s a big girl?” Tasha giggled back and held out one of her hands. “That’s right you are.”

Clint put the coffee down and grabbed the camera to take the picture. “This one is going on the fridge.” Clint smiled as he sat down.

Phil smiled as looked at the picture. “She’s looking more like you every day.”

Clint looked back down at the camera. “Yeah, but she has your eyes. Now eat up before your breakfast gets cold.”

After they were done breakfast, Phil went about cleaning up while Clint put Tasha down for her mid-day nap.

Several hours later the three of them were sitting in the living room opening the last of the gifts under the tree.

“Last one’s for you Phil.” Clint said as he passed the other man a small package.

“You spoiled me.” Phil smiled as he saw that it was another gift from Clint.

“It’s my first official Christmas, so I might have gone a little crazy.” Clint smiled as picked up the new rattle Tasha had dropped. “Here you go sweetie.”

Phil smiled as he watched the two of them play with the rattle, matching smiles on their faces. “Her laughter is my new favorite sound.” Phil said as he began opening the gift.

“Mine as well.” Clint agreed as he glanced over at Phil who was staring down at the open gift with an unreadable expression on his face. “I know it’s been a few years since I’ve seen your collection and the guy I got it off of said it was extremely rare so hopefully it’s not one you already own.”

Phil turned the Captain America trading card over in his hands and let out a gasp when he caught sight of what was on the back. “It’s signed.”

“I didn’t ask too much about it but the guy told me something about a warehouse fire.” Clint replied.

“Yes, the warehouse these cards were made in caught fire and burned to the ground. Everyone got out safely and one man even managed to save ten of the cards.” Phil said as he ran his hand over the signature. “As it turns out Captain America was set to make an appearance in town that night so he came over to make sure everyone was all right and before he left he signed the ten cards that had been saved and because he did they decided to stop making this particular card.” Phil was stunned. “Clint, how on earth did you find this card?”

Clint shrugged as he set Tasha down. “I used one of my connections from my pre SHIELD days and he was able to track down someone who knew someone who had gotten their hands on the card and then it was just a matter of charming the guy to let me buy it off of him.”

“No one’s ever gotten me a Captain America trading card before.” Phil said as he stood up and gently set the card down on the coffee table before turning and pulling Clint up into a heated kiss. “I’ll give you a proper thank you tonight when Tasha has gone to bed.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Well you managed to give me the best Christmas present ever and I do have one last one for you but you’ll have to wait until dinner.”

“Am I allowed any hints?”

“None what so ever, but trust me you’ll like it.”

“Another surprise then, fine I can be patient this one time.” Clint replied before bending down to pick up Tasha. “Speaking of dinner, I guess we should start getting ready for it. What time is our reservation?”

“It’s for five.” Phil replied as he glanced at his watch. “With this weather we might be a bit late but the place won’t be very busy tonight.”

“Are you sure we don’t want to just stay in? I’m sure I can put something nice together.” Clint asked as he glanced at the snow coming down.

“Don’t worry the roads will be fine. Besides I’ve driven in worse weather, remember our mission in Alaska and the huge storm I had to drive us out of?”

“You mean the mission where you rolled and totaled our SUV? Then yes I remember that mission well.”

“Okay to be fair, we were being gunned down and I was not expecting them to blow up the road. But before that I was doing just fine.”

“I’m just teasing you love, I know that you’ll always get us where were going safely.” Clint kissed Phil’s cheek before heading towards Tasha’s room.


	37. Chapter 37

“Is the suit and tie really necessary?” Clint grumbled as he adjusted his tie once again. “I feel like this thing is choking me.”

“Oh stop being so dramatic.”

“I’m not being dramatic, there is a reason I don’t wear these things.” Clint frowned as he loosened the tie a bit. “That’s better.”

Phil smiled as he glanced over at Clint. “You really do look handsome in that suit; I need to take you out to nice places more often.”

“Uh huh, so are you going to tell me the name of this fancy restaurant you’ve decided to take us to?”

“No and we will be there in a few minutes so I need you to close your eyes now.”

“Is that really necessary? I don’t even know where we are right now.” Clint said as he turned to check on Tasha.

“Part of the surprise is that you don’t know where we are until I say so and promise me you won’t peek.” Phil replied.

“Okay I promise.” Clint replied as he turned around and closed his eyes.

Phil grabbed Clint’s hand and gave it a squeeze as he pulled into a parking lot. “Sit tight for a few minutes.”

“Okay.” Clint squeezed back.

Getting out of the car, Phil went to the back seat and unstrapped Tasha who had just woken up for her short nap. Making sure he had the blanket wrapped tightly around her he reached in and grabbed the diaper bag before shutting the back door. Moving forward he opened the passenger door and helped Clint out before passing him Tasha. “All right let’s get out of this cold.” Phil said as he took Clint’s free hand in his.

Trusting Phil to guide him the right direction, Clint tighten his hold on Tasha and started walking. They were soon inside a warm building which was surprisingly quiet. Phil led them a few more feet before coming to a stop.

“Okay, just a few more minutes.” Phil said as he put down the diaper bag and removed his jacket before helping Clint out of his before coming back and re-taking Clint’s hand. “Okay you can open your eyes now.”

“Phil, where are we?” Clint asked once his eyes had adjusted to the light in the room. From what he could see of the room behind Phil looked like a banquet room, with one long table that appeared to be set for nine.

“I’ve made several mistakes in my life.” Phil started. “But loving you was never a mistake and the result of our love brought the greatest gift possible. I can’t picture my life without either one of you and I hope I never have to. I asked you an important question several months ago after we learned that you were pregnant with Tasha and you already gave me an answer and I hope that hasn’t changed.”

“I meant what I said, it will always be yes.”

“So if I were to ask you to marry me tonight, that would be a yes as well?”

Clint squeezed Phil’s hand and stepped closer. “Phil there is nothing I would love more then to marry you tonight, so yes.”

Phil pulled Clint in for a kiss before pulling back and wrapping his arm around the other man. “Hear that everyone, he said yes.”

Clint spun around as the door behind them opened. “Nat, Eric. What are you two doing here?”

“Like we’d miss seeing you and Phil get married.” Nat answered as she rushed forwarded and pulled Clint then Phil into a hug before plucking her goddaughter out of Clint’s arms. “Of course, I wouldn’t want to miss seeing this little one on her first Christmas.”

“You two spoiled her too much with the Christmas presents.” Clint said as Eric hugged him. “I’m so happy you’re here, I’ve missed seeing you both.”

“IItsgood seeing you again Jasper.” Phil smiled as he shook the other man’s hand.

“You as well Phil. I can’t get over how much your little girl has grown.” Jasper commented as he placed his arm around Eric’s waist.

“I can’t believe it’s been four months since we’ve seen all of you.” Eric remarked as he moved closer to Jasper. “It will be nice to finally work from home.”

“Malibu is nice this time of year.” Natasha spoke up from where she was standing with Maria.

“That’s not what you say every time I talk to you on the phone.” Maria said as she managed to steal Tasha from Nat. “Is this the dress you were telling me about? It’s so adorable on her.”

“Are you two going to hog her all night?” Eric asked as he and Jasper left Phil and Clint’s side to join the two women.

“Come for the wedding stay to play with the baby.” Phil whispered in Clint’s ear as he pulled the other man into his arms.

“Tasha sure does make entertaining easier though.” Clint whispered back as he wrapped Phil’s arms around himself. “This was an amazing surprise Phil. Thank you for making this Christmas even more memorable. How did you pull this all off?”

“You’re welcome and trying to plan something to surprise you is harder than I thought it was going to be. I don’t think I would have been able to pull it off without Nick’s help.”

“Always happy to help.” Fury said as he walked into the room followed by Dr. Michaels and his wife.

“Sorry were late, there was a bit of a fender bender down the road and traffic was very slow to be re-routed.” Dr. Michaels said as helped his wife take off her jacket. “Phil, Clint I’d like you both to meet my wife Helen.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet both of you; David has told me so much about both of you.” Helen smiled as she shook both of their hands. “Clint, I have to say you look amazing. It took me almost a year to lose the weight after our first child.”

“Thank you Helen.” Clint blushed slightly. “I’m happy that you were both able to be with us today.”

“A wedding beats skiing in Vermont any day. Now where is this adorable daughter of yours?”


	38. Chapter 38

Before Phil, Clint never imaged that he could ever be this happy that he would get the chance to have a family. Now he stood with his hands clasped with the hands of the man he loved, exchanging their vows in front of the friends who loved them and the daughter they brought into this world together. “I do.” Clint said softly.

“I do.” Phil repeated, squeezing Clint’s hands and when he was given the word he pulled his husband in for a kiss.

Clint was breathless when they finally pulled apart. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Phil whispered back before they turned to face their friends.

“Congrats you two.” Natasha kissed both of them on the cheek.

“Thanks Nat.” Clint smiled.

“The power couple of SHEILD now official.” Eric pulled Clint in for a hug and went to shake Phil’s hand.

“Hey, you’re not just a friend your family.” Phil told Eric as he pulled the other man in for a hug.

“Thanks Phil.” Eric stepped back to allow the others to come up and congratulate the couple.

Later when everyone was sitting down for dinner Fury stood up and lightly tapped his glass. “I’d like to purpose a toast. To Phil and Clint we all wish you all the happiness as you start this new journey together.”

“Thanks Nick.” Phil smiled at his oldest friend. “Now everyone eat up before the food gets cold.”

“So when do you have to get back to Malibu?” Clint asked Nat as he feed Tasha her bottle.

“Well if I’m lucky and Stark manages to behave himself over the holidays I don’t have to go back until January.”

“Well then, here’s to Stark behaving himself for a week.” Eric smirked as he lifted his glass.

“I’ll drink to that.” Natasha replied as she tapped Eric’s glass with hers.

“Here, here.” Clint agreed. “Now hopefully Eric and Jasper won’t be called away on a mission and the six of us can spend New Year’s Eve together.”

“That would be great. You know it’s been so long since I’ve had people to spend the holidays with, I forgot how good it can feel to be a part of something.” Eric glanced over to Jasper who was in a deep discussion with Phil and Maria. “To have people who love me.”

“Speaking of people who love you, we want details.” Nat said as she and Clint shared a smile.

“Yeah, and don’t leave anything out.” Clint added as he set the empty bottle down and patted Tasha on the back.

“Should I start the story before or after your obvious attempt to set the two of us up?” Eric asked.

“Wait, are you talking about that dinner we had at Phil and Clint’s when Maria, Eric and I got back from the final challenge?” Natasha asked.

“Yes.” Eric answered.

“I didn’t think I was being the obvious that night.” Clint spoke up as a light blush crossed his face.

“I thought you were acting a bit strange that night, I just wrote it off as some pregnancy thing. The way you shoved Jasper down into the chair next to Eric.” Natasha laughed at the memory.

“I was surprised that you didn’t include your both gay and single make nice when you were introducing us.” Eric laughed.

“I did debate about saying something like that but didn’t want to make it overly obvious.” Clint muttered.

“Don’t worry Clint, we both got the hint.” Jasper told him as he leaned over and kissed Eric.

“My husband is not the most subtle of people.” Phil added as he took Tasha so Clint could eat.

“Hey, I can be subtle if I want to be.” Clint protested.

“Are they picking on you sweetie?” Helen asked as she placed her hands on Clint’s shoulders.

“Yes.” Clint pouted.

“Oh please.” Natasha rolled her eyes.

“You shouldn’t pick on him on the day of his wedding, you especially.” Helen said as she turned and flicked Phil’s ear. “I’m pretty sure you don’t want to end up sleeping on the couch on your wedding night.”

“Thanks Helen.” Clint said as he got up. “Are you two heading out now?”

“I wish we could stay longer but we have a flight to catch.” Dr. Michaels answered. “We’re spending the next few weeks with our son and his family.”

“Well thank you both for being with us today.” Phil told them as he got up.

“Thank you for inviting us, it was wonderful to finally meet all of you.” Helen plucked Tasha out of Phil’s arms. “Especially you little one, I hope I get to see you again soon. You know, if you ever need anyone to watch her don’t be afraid to call me.”

“Thank you Helen and we will definitely call you.” Clint told her as he pulled Helen in for a hug. “Have a safe flight and a happy new year you two.”

“Give us a call when you get back into town and we will have you both over for dinner.” Phil added as Helen passed Tasha back to him.

“That would be lovely.” Helen smiled before turning to say goodbye to everyone else.

“See you all in the New Year.” Dr. Michaels waved.

“Agent Hill and I also have to take off I’m afraid.” Fury announced as he got up. “I just received an urgent message from the council saying they need to discuss something with us.”

“Don’t these guys ever take a break?” Maria sighed as she got up.

“I so don’t miss having to jump to attention for the council.” Phil smiled. “But don’t worry you two; we will save you some cake.”

“Thanks Phil.” Maria punched him in the arm before pulling Tasha in for a hug. “Bye baby girl, Aunty Maria will see you later.”

“Agents Sitwell and Kovaks, you two take this week off and you can report back in on Monday.”

“Thank you Director.” Jasper nodded.

“You all enjoy the rest of your evening and we will see all of you in the new year.” Fury said before following Maria out of the room.

“Now let’s continue our earlier discussion, which one of you is going to tell the story?” Natasha asked as she bounced a delighted Tasha on her knees.

“There really isn’t that much to tell.” Eric replied. “Jasper came up to me the next day and asked me out for coffee and I said yes and here we are now.”

“That’s not much of a story.” Clint frowned.

“How did you get around the no fraternization rule the agency has?” Phil asked as looked across to Jasper. “I know you and you're not one to break any rule regardless and Nick didn’t even blink when he saw the two of you together.”

“Well, I might have stormed into the Director’s office and may have said something along the lines of the no fraternization rule being one of the dumbest ones we have and that the agents of SHIELD who want to be together shouldn’t have to hide it. I believe I might have said a few other things before informing him that I would be asking Eric if he would go out with me regardless of the stupid rule the agency has.” Jasper shrugged. “Then I went and asked Eric out for coffee.”

“You never told me that you spoke to the Director first.”

“Well as it turns out when I stormed into the Directors office he was actually in the middle of instructing Hill to type up a memo in regards to the no fraternization rule being lifted. So I really didn’t change anything.”

“Still the fact that you said what you did to the Director is really sweet.” Eric said before leaning over and kissing Jasper.

“What did I tell you?” Clint said smugly as he turned to his husband.

“Still not going to call you the world’s greatest match maker, but I might considered it if you manage to find Natasha a match.” Phil replied causing Clint to turn towards Natasha.

“Don’t even think about it Barton.” Natasha replied.

“Actually I hear that Agent Casey has the hots for our red head assassin.” Eric added in.

“Isn’t that the gorgeous agent who just got transfer from one of the SHIELD offices on the West Coast?” Clint asked as he took a sleepy Tasha from Nat’s arms. “You two would make a cute couple Nat.”

“If either one you try to set me up with someone I will hurt you.” Natasha said as she glared at both of them before glancing at Phil. “And you stop putting crazy ideas in his head.”

“Of course.” Phil replied. “Now who want’s some cake?”


	39. Chapter 39

Clint gently laid Tasha down in her crib before leaning back into Phil as the other man wrapped his arms around his waist. “She didn’t even stir when I put her into her sleeper.”

“She had quite the first Christmas.” Phil said as he placed kisses along Clint’s neck.

“Our little girl got spoiled rotten.” Clint sighed as he titled his head. “If we are lucky she might just sleep through the night but she’ll definitely be up early.”

“Well we should get ourselves to bed then and tomorrow I’ll get up with her.” Phil replied as he took Clint’s hand in his and led him to their bedroom.

“So this is where you disappeared to when we got home.” Clint smiled as he took in the candle lit bedroom.

“We might not be able to do a honeymoon any time soon but there is no way we are skipping out on our wedding night.”

“How did I get so lucky?” Clint smiled as he turned in Phil’s arms.

“I’m the one who should be asking that question.” Phil told him as he brought their left hands up, the glow from the candles bounced off their rings.

“I wish I never had to take this ring off but in my line of work it’s not practical.”

“I thought of that and I actually bought us chains for them so we can still have them with us when we are in the field.”

“My husband always thinks of everything.”

“I’m never going to get tired of hearing you call me that.”

“Well then husband of mine, I want to get out of this suit. Are you going to give me a hand with it?” Clint asked as he pulled out of Phil’s arms and starting walking backwards to the bed.

Phil smiled as Clint’s tie fluttered to the floor before moving forward. “I was wrong when I said you looked handsome in that suit, breathtakingly stunning would have been more accurate.”

“Why don’t you get over here and put that mouth of yours to good use.” Clint said as he grabbed Phil by the tie and pulled the other man in for a kiss.

Phil ran his hands up Clint’s body his fingers undoing the buttons of the other man’s dress shirt as they moved up. Breaking the kiss for a moment he pushed both the jacket and shirt off and let them fall to the ground before wrapping his arms around Clint and pulling him back in for a kiss.

Clint parted his lips allow Phil’s tongue access to his as his fingers swiftly unzipping the other man’s pants before moving his hands to the dress shirt and slowly undoing the buttons. With his one hand wrapped around Phil’s tie Clint broke the kiss and spun the around before pushing Phil back on to the bed. Reaching for the hem of Phil’s pants he tugged them off and tossing them over his shoulder before crawling up the bed helping Phil out of his shirt and jacket before slowly removing his tie. “Phil.” Clint whispered softly as he began mapping the other man’s body with his tongue. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Phil whispered as he pulled Clint’s body flushed to his before moving to reverse their positions. Kissing Clint softly for a moment, Phil sat up and studied the other man. “Lift your hips up.” Phil ordered softly, pulling Clint’s pants off as the other man complied.

“Get back down here.” Clint leaned up, wrapping his arms around Phil’s neck he brought the other man’s lips to his and together they fell back on the bed.

Phil ran his hands down Clint’s body, stopping every time his fingers landed on a scar the other man had received since Phil had met him.

“What are you thinking?” Clint asked as he pulled back and studied Phil’s face. “Your mind suddenly seems far away.”

“I was just thinking how often I’ve come close to losing you, a silly thing to be thinking now I know but at times I can’t help where my mind goes.” Phil said softly as fingers caressed the newest scar the one that actually symbolized something good.

“Oh Phil, I’m not going anywhere and now that we have Tasha I’m no longer willing to take the risks I once did. Now tell that mind of yours to be quiet as you have other things to be focusing on right now.” Clint ordered as he thrust up against Phil and brought lips back down to meet his.

Phil took his time prepping the other man, enjoying every gasp and moan he brought out of Clint. “I love watching you like this, coming apart at my hands.”

“Phil, please.” Clint moaned.

“Yes love?” Phil moved forward his hands slowly moving up Clint’s body.

“Don’t make me beg.” Clint growled out before pulling Phil into a deep kiss and pressing his body up to Phil’s. “I need you in me now.” Clint demanded as he broke the kiss and moved his lips to Phil’s neck, kissing and sucking the skin.

“Jesus.” Phil gasped as Clint’s tongue hit a sensitive spot. “Just, wait one moment I need to…” Sitting back on his heels, Phil reached over and grabbed a condom off the nightstand.

“Let me.” Clint pushed himself up and grabbed the condom from Phil’s hand.

Phil let out a low moan as Clint slowly rolled the condom on him using his mouth only. “Oh god.”

“Clint works too.” Clint smirked as he settled himself back down on the bed.

“You’re stealing my line.” Phil smiled as he moved forward, leaning down he kissed Clint before pulling back he looked into Clint’s eyes.

Nodding Clint reached down and clutched Phil’s left hand in his as Phil slowly entered him. Clint wrapped his legs around Phil as the pair settle into a familiar rhythm. Clint gasped as Phil continued to hit his prostate with every thrust. Phil shifted his angle and managed to go deeper drawing a loud moan from Clint as the orgasm rolled through the younger man’s body. Clint pulled Phil’s lips to his and kissed the other man until they were both breathless. Phil groaned as came resting his forehead on Clint’s. They stayed in each other’s arms, still connected as they got their breathing under control.

“That was amazing.” Clint gasped as Phil slipped out of him. “Is it just me or was that the most intense sex we’ve ever had.”

“Definitely not just you.” Phil agreed as he rolled onto his back next to Clint.

Rolling onto his side Clint placed his hand on Phil’s stomach. “How much recovery time do you need?”

“Not long at all.” Phil replied as he threaded his fingers with Clint’s.

“Well then, I happen to have…” Clint broke off as a loud and very awake sounding cry came from the baby monitor. “It sounds like someone is hungry.”

“I’ll go give her a bottle you just stay right here.” Phil said as he climbed out of the bed. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

“Well then, as soon as you get back we will pick up where we left off.” Clint smiled.

“I look forward to it.” Phil replied as he tossed on a pair of sweat pants and headed to the kitchen to warm up a bottle. Once it was ready he grabbed it and headed to Tasha’s room. Sitting the bottle down by the rocker he made his way to the crib. Upon seeing him Tasha raised her arms and started smiling, the tears still slowly falling down her face. “Hi baby girl.” Pulling her up into his arms, Phil went over and sat down in the rocker and began feeding Tasha her bottle while humming her favorite lullaby. Only his daughter would enjoy the Star Spangled Man over any nursery rhyme. It wasn’t long before the bottle was empty and Tasha was fast asleep. Slowly Phil got up and placed Tasha into her crib, tucking the blanket around her. He watched her for a moment before quietly making his way back to the bedroom where he found his husband, fast asleep. Phil took a moment to blow out all the candles before slipping out of his pants and crawled into bed. Phil smiled softly as even in his sleep Clint’s body moved towards his. Gently kissing the other man, Phil pulled the blanket over them and was soon fast asleep.


	40. Chapter 40

"This game would be more fun if I was drunk. Actually, I don't think I could play this game or any other game for that matter while sober." Clint muttered as he bounced Tasha on his knees.

"I'm with you on that one. Whose idea was it to play this game again?" Eric asked.

"I'm pretty sure it was Natasha's." Clint replied as he glanced over to where she was sitting. "I'm almost positive she's memorized all the cards."

"I've never played this game before in my life." Natasha retorted.

"Clint, babe, are you even paying attention?"

Clint glanced back at Phil and squinted at the pad of paper the man was drawing on. "I really have no idea what all those scribbles are supposed to represent. Wouldn't it be easier if you had your eyes open to draw?"

"Having your eyes closed is part of the challenge." Jasper answered before glancing at his teammate for this game. "You ready to steal this one Natasha?"

"I figured it out ttwenty-seconds ago." Natasha smirked over at Clint as she took a sip of her drink.

"Show off." Clint replied, sticking his tongue out at Nat causing Tasha to start giggling.

"That's mature." Natasha replied.

"You know, since we are pretty much making up our own rules for this game why can't we have an eyes open option for those of us who don't mind not being challenged?" Eric asked.

"Silence and watch that timer." Natasha replied.

"Not that it really matters as I have no idea what Phil is attempting to draw." Clint said as he passed Tasha to Eric.

"Time's up anyway." Eric announced as smiled down at Tasha.

"Well Nat since you seem to know the answer, what is it?" Clint asked.

"Playground." Natasha answered confidently.

"She got it." Phil replied as he sat down next to Clint.

"Another point for us, well done partner." Jasper cheered as he and Natasha high fived.

"How on earth do you get playground from that?" Clint asked as he grabbed the pad to study it closer.

"What do you mean? This is clearly a slide or is it a swing?" Phil muttered as he studied what he had drawn. "Okay your right that is a good question, how did you figure that out?"

"What can I say, beginners luck." Natasha shrugged. "Now hurry up and draw a card for us."

"These two are killing us." Phil remarked as Clint drew out one of the blue cards and passed it to Natasha.

"See this is why I decided to sit out of this game." Eric said as he cuddle Tasha.

"You got ditched by your partner because your worse at this then I am." Clint pointed out.

"Honestly how is anyone supposed to make anything out of the clay crap?" Eric responded.

"Just like that." Phil pointed out as Jasper easily guessed what Natasha had sculpted. "Would admitting defeat be easier then continuing with this game?"

"You know Nat won't allow that." Clint replied as Jasper passed him a green card. Clint quickly glanced at it and groaned. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?" Eric asked as he glanced over Clint's shoulder. "Oh it's one of those ones where you all have to participate. One member of each team has to act out the clue on this card and whoever guesses it correctly first gets to roll the die."

Clint scowled at the card once more before getting up and passing the card to Jasper, not liking the smile that crossed the man's face once he read it.

"Okay, are you both ready to go?" Eric asked and receiving nods from both men he flipped the timer. "Begin."

It took only seconds for Natasha to yell out the correct answer.

"Seriously, how on earth did you guess Tony Stark from that?" Clint asked as he looked over at her.

"It's been my mission to study him for the last several months; I've learned his mannerisms quite well." Natasha replied. "Also Jasper did a spot on performance."

"Thank you." Jasper smiled as he grabbed the die to toss it.

"All he did was finish his drink and that instantly made you think of Stark."

"It's how he finished his drink, very Stark like." Natasha smiled at Clint.

"On the bright side, if they win their next turn this game is over." Phil whispered to Clint as he sat back down.

"We are never teaching Tasha this one." Clint whispered back.

"You know, there is a kid's version that might be more to you're liking." Natasha smiled over at the couple.

"She gets very smug and slightly mean when she's winning." Eric pointed out. "I'd hate to see what she's like if they were losing."

"I heard that." Natasha remarked her eyes closed as she sketched.

"Hanukkah." Jasper spoke up suddenly.

"You got it." Natasha smiled as she jumped up, pulling Jasper into an impromptu victory dance.

"I've never seen this side of her before." Phil commented.

"Neither have I." Clint smiled as Eric passed him Tasha before Jasper pulled him off the couch. "Its good seeing them like this."

Nodding Phil wrapped his arm around his husband. "Has Eric talked to yet?"

Clint leaned into Phil's side as Tasha fell asleep in his arms. "Yes, he said they were leaving for Asia in forty-eight hours. He also happened to mention that your familiar with the man they are going after a Japanese national by the name of Hiro Tanaka."

"Both Jasper and I were part of the original team that went after him almost ten years ago. At the time both of us were still junior agents with SHIELD and even though the mission was a fail the fact that Jasper and I were the only two to make it back prompted us both for promotions. It always bugged me that he escaped capture and managed to stay off the radar for as long as he did."

"Does it bother you that you're not part of the team going now?"

"This mission isn't going to be an easy one and even as skilled as every single member of that team is it will still take them a long time to track him down, months even but I know this time they will succeed so no it doesn't bother me. Besides I have a more important place to be right now." Phil closed his eyes and rested his chin on the top of Clint's head. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you miss it, the missions, your bow all of it?"

Clint closed his eyes, taking a moment before answering. "You already know that when I wake up in medical after a mission my first question is always regarding how soon I can get on to the range and is always followed by when I can be cleared for field work. After Budapest it was no different, but learning I was pregnant with Tasha those two things really didn't matter too much to me. Honestly, yes a part of me might miss the life that was fueled by missions but that's a very small part of me."

The room was quiet for a moment before Eric broke the silence. "Are we going to lose the old people before midnight?"

"Who are you calling old?" Clint asked as he opened his eyes. "I'm younger then you."

"I was talking more to Phil." Eric joked as he easily dogged the pillow Phil tossed in his direction but not the one Clint sent flying.

"Bullshit you said people, and we were just resting our eyes." Clint said, as he slowly got up. "I'm going to put Tasha in her crib. If someone wants to get started on the popcorn we can watch a movie that will take us to midnight."

Several hours later at the stroke of midnight, Clint and Eric kissed their respective partners before turning and kissing Natasha on the cheek.


	41. Chapter 41

The remaining months of winter were cold, damp and very long. Jasper and Eric along with the three other agents on Jasper’s team headed over to Asia to track down their newest target while Natasha was able to stay in New York for another month before having to head back to Malibu to keep an eye on Stark. As promised when March rolled around Phil headed back to work. Most nights he was home at a normal time but there were the odd late nights and tonight was one of those nights and unfortunately it wasn’t the first time this week.

“I’m sorry Phil but the Director needs these done tonight and I have a flight to catch.” Maria said apologetically as she set several files down.

“Who knew stepping down would multiple the paper work.” Phil sighed as he leaned back in his chair. “Where are you off to?”

“South Asia. Jasper and his team discovered something that isn’t lining up with our intel on their target and with Fury stuck in Washington for a few more days someone has to go over there and see what’s going on.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, some things just aren’t adding up. I’m sure it’s nothing.” Maria shrugged. “Oh before I go, I hear that Tasha finally had a few teeth break through.”

“Yes, her two bottom ones and now her top two are working their way down.” Phil replied as he pulled up his photo album on his phone and passed it to Maria.

“Look at that smile. It’s almost hard to believe she’s going to be eight months old in a few weeks.” Maria smiled as she went through the newest pictures.

“I know she’s already starting to pull herself up on the furniture and is even managing to hold herself up for a few minutes. You should also see how fast she crawls now; she keeps both of us very busy.” Phil smiled as Maria passed back his phone.

“Not too busy to take that husband of yours out I hope.” Maria’s eyebrows went up at the look on Phil’s face. “You two have managed to take an evening or two for yourselves right?”

“Uh, it’s been a few months we’ve had to cancel the last few times because I’ve had to work late and since Tasha’s started teething she hasn’t been sleeping well and so usually by the end of the day Clint is pretty exhausted.”

“Jesus, next you’ll be telling me you haven’t had sex in a while.”

Phil coughed slightly and glanced down at his watch. “Don’t you have a flight to catch?”

Maria stared down at him in disbelief. “Seriously? Give Helen a call and see if she’s free to babysit this Friday night and take your husband out, It will do both of you the world of good. Now your right I better get going, I’ll see you next week.”

“Give Jasper and Eric my best.” Phil called out as Maria left. Sighing once again he picked up his phone and dialed Clint’s cell.

“Let me guess, you’re working late again.”

“I know and I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be out too late tonight.” Phil rubbed his eyes.

“That’s what you said last night and the night before that.” The line was silent for a moment. “Sorry, it’s been one of those… Tasha don’t touch that.”

Phil pulled the phone slightly away from his ear at the sound of a crash and the following scream. “Is she okay?”

“She’s okay, it’s been a really long day and she hasn’t had a nap at all which of course always makes her slightly cranky.”

“Clint I’m sorry, I’ll finish up here as quickly as possible.”

“It’s okay Phil, I’m going to give Tasha a bath and see if she’ll go to sleep for me. I’ll see you when you get home.”

“Okay, I love you.”

“Love you too, don’t work too hard. Bye.”

“Bye.” Phil closed his eyes for a moment before going into his phone book and dialing another number. “Hey Helen, its Phil. Would you happen to be free to watch Tasha this Friday night?”

The apartment was quiet when Phil arrived home a few hours later. He could hear the television in the living room but there was no answer when he called out for Clint. Phil frowned as he noticed that most of the lights were on but there was no sign of his husband. Phil made his way to Tasha’s room and quietly opened the door and found both Clint and Tasha fast asleep. Phil quietly made his way across the room to Tasha’s crib and crouched down taking Clint’s face in his hands.

Clint’s eyelids fluttered open and he smiled up at Phil. “Hey you.”

“Hey, let’s get you into bed.” Phil replied softly as he pulled Clint onto his feet.

“Dinner is in the oven. I still have to clean up the kitchen and living room.” Clint muttered as Phil lifted him up into his arms and moved towards their bedroom. “Also there is laundry on the go.”

“Don’t worry about any of that, I’ve got it.” Phil told him as he gently laid Clint down on their bed. “You just go back to sleep and I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay.”

“Okay.” Clint mumbled as he drifted back to sleep.

Phil sat there for a moment watching the other man sleep before leaning down and kissing Clint’s check.

* * *

The next night Phil came home and followed the sound of laughter coming from the bathroom. Leaning against the doorway he smiled at the sight before him. “Isn’t the water supposed to stay in the tub?”

“Splashing is more fun.” Clint replied as he tossed a smile over his shoulder. “But she’s ready to come out now; can you pass me her towel?”

“Here you go.” Phil passed him the towel before leaning over and pulling the plug from the tub.

“How did work go today?” Clint asked as he wrapped the towel around Tasha before passing her to Phil.

“Without either the Director or Maria there it was a bit crazy.” Phil replied as they made their way to Tasha’s room. “Actually I got a call from Maria just as I was heading out of the door. It’s why I’m a bit late.”

“You said she was flying over to Asia to meet Jasper and Eric, is everything okay?” Clint asked as he pulled out a sleeper from the dresser.

“Everything is fine, it’s just some of our intel wasn’t exactly adding up.” Phil replied as he finished putting a new diaper on Tasha, while she looked up at him sleepily. “It just appeared like our target was able to stay one step ahead of our guys.”

“Are they suspecting a leak?” Clint asked as he passed Phil the sleeper.

“That’s the only reason I can think of why Maria went over there but now it’s looking like the intel we were receiving was bad. But the good news is that they picked up a new trail from a more reliable source, so with any luck this mission will be wrapped up within the month.” Phil said as he finished zipping up the sleeper and clipping Tasha’s pacifier on before lifting her off the change table before following Clint into the kitchen.

“Well that’s good to hear, I know when Eric first told me about this mission he suspected they would only be gone a couple of months and there going on four now.” Clint said as he pulled a pre-made bottle out of the fridge.

“It will be nice to have the home again.” Phil said as he kissed Tasha on the cheek. “So I called Helen and asked if she’d be up to babysitting tomorrow night.”

“What for?” Clint asked as he placed a bottle in the warmer before moving over to the cabinet to pull out the children’s Tylenol.

“Can you even remember the last time we went out?”

“We went out just last weekend.” Clint replied as he double checked the measurement in the dropper before moving over to Phil. “Open your mouth baby girl.”

Phil placed the pacifier in Tasha’s mouth before rolling his eyes at his husband. “I meant just you and me, as in a date.”

“A date?” Clint repeated as he placed the Tylenol back into the cabinet.

“Yes, am I not allowed to take my husband out on a date?” Phil asked as he kissed the top of Tasha’s head as the little girl rubbed her tired eyes.

“Of course, but is now really a good time? Tasha’s gums are really bothering her and I’m pretty sure she’s catching a bit of a cold. I don’t want to make Helen watch a knowingly cranky baby.” Clint grabbed the warm bottle and moved to the living room.

Tasha’s arm’s reached towards Clint as she started to cry. Phil rocked her gently before passing her to Clint once he was settled on the couch. “Helen raised five children, I think she can manage and we already know that Tasha loves her. Clint, I know the thought of leaving our daughter even for an hour or two is hard but you and I both know that it’s a healthy part of her development."

Clint blew the hair out of his eyes and looked up at Phil as Tasha began eating. “Sometimes I hate when you go all logical on me.”

“Is that a yes?”

“It’s a yes.” Clint smiled. “But I do have one request; I want you to take me to the same place we went to on our first date.”

“The Steakhouse, they had really good food.” Phil smiled. “It’s a shame our elevator in this building has camera’s or the date could end the same way.”

Clint rose, Tasha was fast asleep in his arms. “Babe, who said the elevator in my old building didn’t have a camera. Now go and eat your dinner while I put our daughter in her crib.”

“Wait, you’re kidding right?” Phil asked as he quickly stood.

Clint just tossed a saucy grin over his shoulder before disappearing in the bedroom.


	42. Chapter 42

The next day it seemed that everything that could go wrong went wrong and after only six hours, Phil decided to call it a day and leave the mess for Maria to clean up when she got back in on Monday. Of course with the day he had been having a multiple vehicle pileup made the ten minute drive home into a forty-five minute one. By the time Phil walked through the front door of the apartment the pounding in his head had his stumbling towards the kitchen and into the cabinet for a strong pain reliever.

“Your home early, is everything okay?” Clint asked as he turned from the sink to study his husband.

“After I get this stupid bottle open and take a few of these pills I should be grand.” Phil replied as he frowned down at the bottle. “Why isn’t it opening?”

Drying his hands off, Clint reached for the bottle and quickly opened it before passing Phil a few pills. “Want some water to take these?”

“Please.” Phil replied.

Moving back to the sink, Clint grabbed one of the glasses he just cleaned and filled it with water before passing it back to Phil. “Here you go babe.”

Phil tossed the pills into his mouth and quickly chased them down with the water. “Thank you.” Phil sighed as he set the glass down. “It’s unusually quiet in here; I take it Tasha went down for her nap.”

“Yeah, she passed out on me about thirty minutes ago and since she didn’t get that much sleep last night she should be out for a little while, hopefully.” Clint replied, before taking Phil’s arm and steering him to the bedroom. “I’m thinking that’s the exact thing you should do, or you’ll be passing out on me at dinner tonight.”

“It’s the reason I came home early, didn’t want anything spoiling our date tonight.” Phil replied as Clint helped him out of his suit and into a pair of sweat pants.

“Well just close your eyes and hopefully that headache of yours will be gone when you wake up.” Clint said as he closed the closet door and moved back to Phil’s side. “Lay down on your stomach.”

Phil did as instructed, his hand patting the bed next to him as he turned his head to look up at Clint. “Are you joining me?”

Clint got onto the bed and straddled Phil’s backside before bring both his hands down on the other man’s back and slowly began rubbing the tension away. “Go to sleep Phil.”

“Okay.” Phil mumbled back his eyes drifting shut as he fell into deep sleep. Phil wasn’t sure how long he slept for but he came back to the waking world to the sound of a story being told and a hand petting his face.

“That sounds like a really good dream sweetie, I’m sure Daddy will want to hear all about it as soon as he wakes up.” Clint replied softly.

“Da-da.”

“That’s right sweetie, that’s your da-da.” Clint smiled as Tasha quickly crawled over to him and lifted her into his arms.

“Da.” Tasha giggled and started repeating the word like a mantra as she clapped her hands together.

Phil slowly blinked his eyes open and for a moment just watched the two loves of his life before shifting and propping his head up with his hand. “What’s this I hear about a really good dream?”

Squealing, Tasha launched herself from Clint’s arms. “Da-da.” She beamed at Phil before quickly launching into her story.

“That’s amazing, what happened next?” Phil asked when Tasha stopped babbling and looked down at him with almost an expectant look in her eyes. Once she was done telling the story, Phil wrapped Tasha in his arms and got off the bed. “What time is it?”

“Its quarter to five.” Clint answered. “I’m just going to hop into the shower quickly since someone wouldn’t let me earlier.”

“That’s okay we are going to go into the living room and wreak havoc. Your dad always insists on keeping this room clean and I just don’t know why.” Phil told Tasha as they settled on the living room floor and commenced with the promised havoc.

Clint walked out into the living room not even fifteen minutes later and just looked around shaking his head. “You two having fun out here?”

“Were trying to see how high we can build our towers.” Phil replied.

“These towers required the cushions from the love-seat?” Clint asked.

“The cushions are for structural support, our daughter’s idea of course.” Phil replied as Tasha sent both towers crashing to the ground just as there was a knock at the door.

“Sounds like Helen is here, you better go get ready.”

“Want to help me figure out what I should wear tonight?” Phil asked as he looked over at Tasha.

“Da-da.” Tasha smiled as she lifted up her arms.

“Excellent, you can help me make sure I look good tonight.” Phil smiled as he picked Tasha up and walked into the bedroom.

Putting the cushions back on the love-seat, Clint quickly made his way to the front door. “Hello Helen, please come in.”

“Thank you Clint.” Helen smiled as she walked into the apartment. “You’re looking nice tonight.”

“Thanks, I actually haven’t had a chance to dress up since the last time I saw you.” Clint replied as he shut the door. “How is your family?”

“There doing really good, actually we just learned that our youngest daughter is pregnant with her first so looking forward to another grandchild.” Helen replied.

“Congratulations, that’s very exciting news.” Clint smiled as they walked into the living room. “Sorry about the mess, this room always looks like an aftermath of a storm when Phil is playing with Tasha.”

“It’s not that bad.” Phil said as he walked back into the room with Tasha. “Hello Helen.”

“Hello Phil, how goes it with being back at work?”

“Not bad, but truthfully I’d rather stay at home with Tasha and Clint all day.”

“That’s what David always said to me. Though by the time we had our fifth child there were days when it was tempting to tell him to stay home with the kids while I go to work.” Helen smiled at the memory. “But those were very few and far between days.”

“Da.” Tasha reached towards Clint.

Settling Tasha on his hip, Clint turned back to Helen. “We will most likely be home shortly after ten as the movie we are seeing after dinner doesn’t start until after eight but you have both our cell numbers just in case. I already have her sleeper for tonight out on the change table and there are several pre-made bottles in the fridge. She has a sippy cup… which was on the coffee table.”

“I think it rolled under the couch or maybe its behind the television.” Phil replied. “But there is another one in the cabinet next to the sink if she wants water.”

“I actually haven’t had a chance to feed her dinner yet as she only woke up from her nap thirty minutes ago.” Clint added.

“You two just go and have a good time and don’t worry about a thing. But you two should get going as the traffic is going to be absolute madness soon and you don’t want to be late for your dinner reservation.”

“She’s right.” Phil said before leaning over and kissing the top of Tasha’s head. “Goodnight baby girl, have a good time with Helen.”

“We love you Tasha.” Clint said before giving Tasha a kiss before passing her to Helen. “She’s normally sleepy and ready to go to bed around seven but since she had such a long afternoon nap it might be a different story tonight.”

“That is fine, like I said don’t worry about a thing.” Helen assured him again. “You two just go and have a good time.”

“Thanks again for watching her Helen.” Phil smiled before wrapping his arm around his husband’s waist. “Come on let’s get going.”

“Thanks Helen and if anything…”

“I will call you right away.” Helen smiled as Tasha started waving goodbye. “Now go.”

“Okay, bye Tasha.” Clint called out before Phil pulled him out of the apartment.

“Sorry.” Clint smiled apologetically as he put his phone back into his pocket. “I know this isn’t the first time I’ve been apart from our daughter it’s just been awhile and when Nat was kicking us out of the apartment we were only gone for an hour or so.”

“Clint you don’t have to apologize. I know what you’re going through; I had the same problem when I first went back to work.” Phil reached across the table and squeezed Clint’s hand. “My first day back I had a meeting with Fury and I think I pulled my phone out at least half a dozen times before he demanded I just put it on the desk in front of me.”

“Well I’m not going to put my phone on the table while we are trying to eat dinner.” Clint said just as his phone beeped.

“Everything okay?” Phil asked as Clint checked his phone.

“Yes, Helen just sent me a picture.” Clint smiled as he passed the phone to Phil.

Phil smiled as he looked at the picture of their daughter with her toothy grin. “It looks like they're having a good time.” Phil said as he passed the phone back to Clint.

“Yes it does.” Clint replied as he put the phone away. “Now, where were we?”


	43. Chapter 43

“Agent Coulson.”

“Agent Matthews, what is it?” Phil asked as he glanced at the agent standing in his doorway.

“Director Fury sent me down here; he wishes to see you right away.” Agent Matthews replied. “He stressed that it was rather urgent.”

Phil frowned as he quickly stood up, pocketing his phone before leaving his office with Agent Matthews. “Did he say anything else?”

“No Sir, he did not.”

“Okay, thank you Agent Matthews.” Phil nodded before getting into the elevator and selecting the Directors floor. Phil’s frown deepened as he walked into the Directors office and saw who else was there. “Director, Agent Matthews said you wanted to see me.”

“I did, please take a seat we are just waiting for one other person.” Fury replied, his attention never leaving the file before him.

Phil glanced over to where Natasha and Maria stood. “Nat, when did you arrive back in New York?”

“I just got back not even twenty minutes ago.” Natasha replied. “Director Fury called me late last night and told me that I was being pulled from Stark watch and that I was needed back in New York right away but he didn’t say why.”

“Don’t look at me; I’m in the dark just like the both of you.” Maria said as the other two turned to her. “I didn’t even realize that Natasha was coming back to New York until Fury told me to go pick her up at the airport.”

“Okay, then who are we waiting for?” Phil asked.

“Sorry I’m late but I can’t just snap a babysitter out of thin air, so instead I left Tasha with your receptionist.” Clint told Fury as he walked into the room.

“We were waiting for your husband.” Fury said as he finally glanced up. “Who managed to put the door handle through my wall, once again.”

“Sorry about that.” Clint shrugged, as he shut the door behind him before moving towards Phil. “You can take the damages off Phil’s pay cheque.”

“Thanks.” Phil spoke up as Clint settled on the arm of his chair. “Okay now what’s going on?”

“I called you all in because of the mission involving Hiro Tanaka.”

“Isn’t that the mission that Jasper and Eric left for almost four months ago, I thought that mission was supposed to be wrapped up by now?” Natasha asked.

“It was but we discovered a few weeks back that there was an issue with our intel.” Maria replied. “I ended up going to Asia myself to meet up with the team as we suspected a leak within SHIELD but it just turned out our information was faulty.”

“Phil told me you received a new lead, where did it take them?” Clint asked.

“The Bajura District in Nepal.” Fury answered. “Their last check in was forty-eight hours ago.”

“I sorry Sir, but I’m afraid I don’t understand. Why did you call the four of us in, did Agent Sitwell report something wrong when he checked in?” Phil asked.

“The problem was that the call wasn’t made from a secured SHIELD phone and it wasn’t Agent Sitwell who called it but Agent Jenner.” Fury replied.

“The completely breaks protocol, they should have never called from an unsecured line.” Maria frowned. “Also isn’t Agent Kasey the second on this team, shouldn’t she be the one to call in if Sitwell isn’t able to?”

“That’s absolutely correct.” Fury answered. “So after the phone call I made a few calls of my own and discovered that Agent Jenner closed all of his accounts and ended the lease on his apartment before leaving for this mission. Also before his bank account was closed a rather large sum of money was wired into his account.”

“Was SHIELD able to trace where the money came from?” Phil asked.

“We were able to trace it back to a known corporation owned by Tanaka.” Fury answered.

“So Jenner betrayed SHIELD for money.” Natasha all but snarled.

“Where does that leave our agents?” Clint asked as Phil’s hand tightened over his.

“I honestly don’t know.” Fury replied. “I’ve already assembled an extraction team which includes several medical personal. The jet will take you to Bajhang Airport and I already have two helicopters ready to go to take you to the GPS location of where final contact was made. The jet will be leaving in an hour.”

“The three of us can be ready to go within that time.” Phil said as he glanced over at Natasha and Maria.

“Don’t you mean the four of us?” Clint asked as stood up and faced Phil.

“Clint you have been off active duty for over a year, there is no way you’re coming with us.” Phil replied as he also stood up.

“You’re kidding me right? Eric and Jasper could be in great danger or even possibly dead. There is no way I’m going to stay back and not do something to help them and Agents Spencer and Kasey. So yes I’m going, end of story.” Clint replied calmly. “Helen is already on her way here to pick up Tasha and is willing to look after her while we are gone.”

Phil shot a quick glance at Fury who refused to meet his eyes before glancing back at Clint. “You already knew there was a possibility we be called out a mission.”

“Agent Barton is one of our best and that’s what we need in order for this rescue mission to be a success.” Fury quickly spoke up. “Now all of you get out of my office and go bring our agents home.”

Clint was the first one out of the office and quickly walked over to the desk of Fury’s secretary. “Thanks for watching her for me Hannah.”

“It was no problem Clint.” Hannah smiled up. “I can’t get over how big she’s gotten. How old is she now?”

Clint smiled as Tasha settled into his arms. “She just turned eight months a few days ago.”

“They grow so fast.” Hannah replied. “My youngest just turned twelve.”

“Alicia? Wasn’t she just in diapers not that long ago?” Clint asked as he settled the diaper bag on his shoulder.

“Yeah and now all she want’s is a cell phone.” Hannah laughed before turning to answer her phone. “Director Fury’s office. Yes of course, I will let him know. Helen arrived; she’s just down in medical.”

“Perfect, thanks Hannah. We will see you later.” Clint smiled.

“See you later Clint and goodbye Miss Tasha.” Hannah waved as the little girl smiled over her dad’s shoulder.

“Maria and Natasha will meet us at the jet.” Phil said as Clint and Tasha joined him by the elevator.

“Phil…” Clint paused as Phil moved to take the diaper bag. “Thank you. Look, I…”

“I’m sorry.” Phil said suddenly as he took Clint’s free hand into his. “I made this mistake once before, not treating you like an agent in front of others and I promised to never do that again and I broke that promise and for that I apologize.”

“Just make sure it doesn’t happen again Phillip, I’m not above withholding sex.” Clint replied as the elevator door opened.

“Yes dear.” Phil replied as the got into the elevator. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far and hopefully I've been able to catch most of the mistakes but if not I apologize. So as I mentioned before I'm also posting this story on FF.Net and this is the last chapter I posted on that site so the updates will be a bit slower now but I should have a new chapter posted this weekend.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just wanted to put a bit of a warning that there is mention of torture and such but it's not overly dark as I cut some of it out.

The moment the jet came to a stop on the tarmac of the Bajhang Airport the group of ten quickly split into two and boarded the two Black Hawks that quickly took to the air. Maria sat up front with the pilot giving him the GPS coordinates of where they needed to be. When the pilot indicated that they were approaching the location Maria adjusted her headset and turned to look at Clint. “Barton, think you can take a look down and tell me what you see.” 

Nodding Clint turned to the open door and looked down at the landscape below. “I can see where Jenner made the call, he dispatched of his cell phone like he was trained to.” Clint made a quick gesture to the pilot to get him to lower the bird down a bit. “This terrain will be almost a nightmare to track but I think I can get a general idea of where he came from.”

“Okay, so would it be easier to find a place to land and track on foot?” Maria asked as she glanced out the front window.

Clint frowned as he continued to study the ground below before glancing over at Natasha. “What do you think?”

“There is a clearing several hundred yards from here. We should land the birds there and then go ahead on foot.” Natasha replied. “We have no idea where Tanaka’s hideout is, that is if he even has one out here but all the same we don’t want our approach to be spotted.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me, lets land over there and inform the other pilot to follow you.” Maria instructed their pilot.

Once both birds where on the ground, Natasha and Clint quickly went ahead to the GPS location to try and see if they could figure out where Jenner had come from before contacting SHIELD.  After the first forty minutes of the pair being gone, Phil was having a hard time trying to not go after his husband and Natasha.

“Don’t worry, they’ll be back soon.” Maria smiled as she squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

“Also don’t you worry too much about Clint; I wouldn’t have let him come out here if I hadn’t cleared him medically.” Dr. Michaels added as he joined the pair.

“Thanks, both of you.” Phil gave a quick smile as their words helped to ease some of his worry. “How are we for medical supplies?”

“I had my team stock up on everything we could possibly need.” Dr. Michaels replied. “Also the three I brought with me might be young but besides yours truly they are the best doctors on the SHIELD payroll.” Dr. Michaels paused a moment before he continued. “If need be we are also prepared for the worst case scenario, but I pray that won’t be the case here today.”

“You and me both.” Maria murmured as she studied the hillside behind her. “Nat and Clint are back.”

Phil’s head jerked towards the direction Maria was looking in and fought the need to rush over to Clint’s side. “Where you able to find out which direction Jenner came from?”

“Yes.” Natasha replied as she nodded her head towards Clint. “We traced his steps for quite a while until Clint spotted a structure nestled up in the hillside; it’s several miles from here.”

“There are a couple of armed guards situated around the perimeter which leads us to believe this is definitely Tanaka’s hideout.” Clint added. “You can only approach the building from the North which makes it impossible to sneak in and infiltrate it without taking out the armed guards first. I don’t see any other possible entrance point and I’m positive that Jasper and his team would have made the same assumption.”

“We’re also found where a struggle recently took place and best guess is this is where the team was grabbed."

“Any sign of anyone being seriously injured?” Maria asked.

“There was quite a bit of blood on the ground but it be impossible to tell if it came from one of ours or not but we did find a body of one of Tanaka’s men at the bottom of a cliff.” Natasha answered. “Best bet most of it was his.”

Maria nodded her thanks before turning to face Phil. “I think our best bet is to make our way to Tanaka’s hideout, wait until dusk before the four of us go ahead and clear a path while Agents Stern and Jacobs stay with the medical team. Then call them in once we’ve cleared the way and located our missing agents.”

“Can we afford to wait until dusk?” Phil asked as he glanced down at his watch, quickly doing the math with the time difference. “We’d be leaving our people in the hands of the enemy for several more hours and I don’t like that one little bit.”

“Also the longer we wait to rescue the others; the faster the trail for Jenner grows cold.” Natasha pointed out. “And I don’t intend to let that happen because once we’ve found our friends I’m going after him.”

“I can easily take out the men watching the perimeter without alerting those inside.” Clint added as his hand ran down his bow.

“That would be our best course of action.” Phil quickly agreed. “We can’t afford to play this safe Maria.”

Maria studied Phil silently for a moment before nodding. “Agreed, I’ll instruct Agents Stern and Jacobs of the plan. We move out in ten.”

With the addition of medical gear and the roughness of the terrain and the unfortunate luck of heavy winds and rain it took the group a few hours to reach the building that Clint had spotted earlier. Once they were within range, Clint quickly took out the few guards watching the outside perimeter and Natasha scouted around the building as the bodies of said guards were being taken care of.

After a few minutes Natasha joined back up with the group. “I found a back door to this place and there was a man guarding it.”

“I assume you disposed of him?” Maria asked.

“Yes and I took these off his person.” Natasha replied as she tossed Maria a key ring with several keys on it.

“Good work Agent Romanoff.” Maria quickly smiled before turning to face the others. “Okay, Stern and Jacobs you two stay out here with the doctors and keep an eye out. The rest of us will go in and make sure the place is cleared, once we are certain of this I send Barton out to collect you. Understood?” At everyone’s nod, Maria pulled out her weapon. “Good, let’s go and get our people back.”

Once the opened the door the first thing that hit the group was the smell. The door opened to a narrow hallway with four mental doors down each side, evenly lined up and a wooden door at the other end. The first two doors and the fourth door on the right hand side along with the first door on the left were open and the rooms empty. On silent agreement, Maria went to the only remaining door on the right side and after several attempts found the right key and unlocked the door. Passing they keys to Phil she nodded to Natasha and lifted her gun as the other woman opened the door. The smell of death was stronger in this room then in the hallway and had Maria lowering her weapon and taking an unsteady step forward.

“Do you recognize this man?” Natasha asked as stepped in behind her handler.

“Yes, this is Tanaka’s nephew. He’s the one who informed us that Tanaka had come to Nepal to hide.” Maria swore in disgust as she took in the state of the young man’s body. “Tanaka is a monster.”

“If he is able to do this to his own flesh and blood…” Natasha had to stop to swallow the unfamiliar bile that rose in her throat before turning and leaving the room.

Maria didn’t hesitate to follow her, turning to Phil she muttered softly. “We got a body in that room, but it’s not one of our own.”

“The first room we check is empty which just leaves these two doors.” Phil replied, just as Clint returned with the medical team.

“I have Stern and Jacobs on watch outside. We got anything yet?” Clint asked as he stopped at Phil’s side.

“Not yet.” Phil replied as he gave Clint’s hand a quick squeeze before moving forward to try and unlock the next door. It took him a matter of seconds to find the right key and with a quick nod in Maria’s direction pulled the door open. Hearing her gasp was the only indication he needed to know it was one of their own. Phil froze for a moment as he took in the sight before him before quickly rushing forward to check for a pulse. “Its Jasper, he’s badly beaten and unconscious but he’s alive.”

Dr. Michaels quickly rushed in with one of the other doctors. “We got him Phil, go help the others.”

“Thank you.” Phil replied before going back into the hallway nearly running Natasha over. “What’s wrong?”

“We found Kasey and Spencer.” Natasha replied her voice broke as she continued to speak. “They were both badly tortured and from what I can tell the both slowly bleed to death.”

“How late where we?” Phil asked as Dr. Simon walked out of the room.

“Only by a few hours but even if we had gotten to them in time there would have been nothing we could have done to help them.” Dr. Simon replied.

“Agent Kasey was four months pregnant and they… those bastards cut her baby out of her.” Natasha spat angrily.

“Where’s Clint?” Phil asked as fear rolled down his spine.

Natasha gestured down to the door at the end of the hallway. “We didn’t find Eric so he and Maria are scouting ahead.”

Phil was getting ready to suggest they join them when the Clint and Maria came racing back into the hallway with Eric between them. “How is he?”

“He’s alive.” Clint answered as Doctors Simon and Fields rushed forward. “The same can’t be said for Tanaka.”

“You got him?” Phil asked as he rushed to Clint’s side.

“Clint nailed the bastard right between the eyes.” Maria replied. “Tanaka’s lackey’s headed out the front door after that, I radioed Stern and Jacobs to take care of them.”

“We’ve got Agent Sitwell stable for now and ready for transport.” Dr. Michaels told them as he approached the group.

“Agent Kovaks needs to get to a hospital immediately or we are going to lose him.” Dr. Simon said urgently.

“I’ll radio the pilots and tell them to try and find a closer landing spot to our location and send out a call to get a team out here to clean this place up. Phil, you and Clint accompany the doctors and get Jasper and Eric into the nearest SHIELD friendly hospital. Stern and Jacobs will take Kasey and Spencer’s bodies back to headquarters. Natasha and I are going to hunt down the bastard responsible for this; we will radio you once we need extraction.” Maria quickly check her weapons after issuing out the orders.

“Maria and I shouldn’t be too long. Jenner only has a few days head start on us.” Natasha added as she also checked her weapons.

“Just get that bastard and be safe.” Clint told them before the pair slipped out of the room.


	45. Chapter 45

They ended up taking Jasper and Eric to the same hospital in Italy that Clint had been in after the mission in Chad that had gone south a few years back. They hadn’t heard a single word on either of their friends since arriving at the hospital ten hours earlier. Clint was just putting down his cell phone as Phil returned with coffee; neither of them had slept since they left New York.

“Was that Helen?” Phil asked as he passed Clint his coffee.

“Thanks, yes it was.” Clint closed his eyes as he took his first sip of coffee.  “Tasha had a few more teeth break through and she woke up with a bit of a cold this morning.”

“Clint, I know this is hard on you. You’ve never been this far away or gone this long from our daughter.” Phil wrapped his free arm around Clint’s shoulders. “I can always stay here and wait for the news on our friends if you want to fly back to New York.”

“I’m not flying home without you or our friends.” Clint replied as he leaned into Phil’s side. “The reality of it is when Tasha is old enough I’ll be going back to work and there is always the possibility that I’ll be sent on a mission that will keep me away from our daughter longer then I’d like. Right now our daughter is in good hands and I know if there is an emergency Helen will let me know. For now I need to be here, with you waiting on news on our friends.”

Phil just placed a kiss on Clint’s forehead before closing his eyes as they leaned against one another and for the first time in several days Phil slept. He’s not sure how much time has passed but the next thing he knows is that he’s being shaken awake and Clint is softly calling out his name. Phil opened his slowly, taking in the form of his husband and seeing Dr. Michaels behind Clint almost had Phil shooting out of his chair. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s okay Phil, you needed the rest and it was only for half an hour.” Clint squeezed Phil’s hand. “Dr. Michaels is here to give us an update on Jasper.”

Phil rubbed his eyes and then gave Dr. Michaels his full attention. “How is he doc?”

Dr. Michaels eased himself down on the chair across from the couple. “Jasper just came out of surgery and is being moved into the ICU as we speak. You should be able to go see him within an hour or so. We were able to repair all internal damage which thankfully wasn’t too severe. He had several cracked rips and several broken bones the major being the tibia in his left leg which had two breaks in it and the humerus in his right arm was also broken. Physical he’s looking at several months of healing and rehabilitation.” Dr. Michaels paused a moment before continuing. “Of course we won’t be able to gage his psychological well-being until he wakes up.”

“When will he wake up?” Clint asked.

“Right now we have him in a medical induced coma, which I suggest we don’t take him out of until I can get him back to the SHIELD medical. It will also give his body the time it needs to heal without the additional stress.” Dr. Michaels answered. “And to answer your next question, we should be able to transport him back by the end of the week.”

“Thank you Dr. Michaels.” Phil replied. “Is there any word on Eric yet?”

A frown crossed his face before Dr. Michaels answered. “The best medical team in this hospital is operating on him but I have both Doctors Simon and Fields assisting.”

“Please just give us a straight answer doctor, we can handle it.” Clint told him as he squeezed Phil’s hand a little more.

“Okay, honestly right now things aren’t looking good. Eric crashed three times on route and twice on the table. He’s lost a very significant amount of blood and the head surgeon is concerned about brain damage as well as damage to his optic nerves. His spleen was completely damaged and had to be removed along with one of his kidneys. At the moment they are working on trying to save as much of his liver as possible. That isn’t even the full extent of the damage but those are the major concerns we are handling now.” Dr. Michaels sighed as he rubbed his hand across his face. “The chances of Eric surviving this surgery… well the odds are immensely stacked against him right now and even if he does manage to pull it through surgery the chances are good that he might never wake up again. I’m sorry that I can’t deliver better news.”

“It’s okay, you say the best are operating on him then we have faith they will do everything they possibly can.” Phil replied as he pulled Clint into his arms as the other man fought to keep his tears at bay.

“I’m going to go and do what I can to help improve Eric’s odds.” Dr. Michaels told them as he stood. “I’ve informed one of the nurses to come and get you once Jasper is set up in ICU.”

“Thank you.” Phil said softly before turning to gather Clint in his arms and just held him wishing there was words of comfort he could give but the grief he was feeling made it impossible to say a word.

It seemed like hours later when a nurse approached the pair. “Agents Coulson and Barton?”

“Yes?” Phil glanced up at the nurse as Clint moved into the chair next to him.

“Agent Sitwell has been moved into the ICU, if you want to come with me I will take you to his room. I’ve been informed by Dr. Michaels that you are permitted to stay there for as long as you need.” The nurse smiled softly.

Phil nodded as he stood, pulling Clint up with him before following the nurse to the ICU and into the room at the far corner.

“If either of you need anything don’t hesitate to come get one of us at the station.”

“Thank you nurse.” Clint sent her a brief smile as she left the room before leading Phil over to sit in the chair by the bed. “Sit down Phil.”

Phil sat down heavily in the chair before reaching out to take Jasper’s hand into his.

“Talk to him Phil, I’m sure even in a coma he’d rather hear a friendly voice then the consist irritating beeping of all these different machines.” Clint squeezed Phil’s shoulders. “I’m going to run down to the cafeteria to get us something to eat, any preferences?”

“No but another coffee would be nice and well maybe some donuts if they have them.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Clint smiled as he leaned down and kissed Phil before leaving the room.

Once the door shut behind his husband, Phil sighed as he lowered his head onto the bed. “Well you bastard you broke the streak we had going, which means when your back on your feet you owe me dinner but I think this time it’s only right if we bring our significant others with us.” Phil lifted his head up and studied his closest friend. “You should know what happened isn’t your fault because I know you and I just know that you’ll find a way to make everything that happened your fault. What happened was due to the actions of a desperate man. We just found out from Fury that Jenner had a daughter from a relationship prior to SHIELD. Turns out his little girl is very sick and somehow Tanaka found out about her and handed Jenner and offer he couldn’t refuse. Regardless of his reason, many people died and he will have to pay for that.” Closing his eyes and squeezing the limp hand in his, Phil took a deep breath before continuing. “You should know that Kasey and Spencer didn’t make it, I… we were too late to save them. I know the only family either of them had was each other and a few members of SHIELD so I’ve already informed Fury that either you or myself will be handling the funeral arrangements. Jasper, you should know that Eric is still in surgery and… well as soon as we know anything I’ll let you know, I promise.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know absolutely nothing about medical terms and such and did most of my research using Wikipedia and I'm sure there are several mistakes in that regard so I apologize for that.


	46. Chapter 46

Clint frowned as he looked around the hospital room unsure what had woken him up until he heard the buzzing of his cell phone. Taking one look over at the sleeping man next to him he pulled out his phone and headed out into the hallway to answer it. “Well Nat, I hope you’re calling me at three in the morning to tell me you caught the bastard.”

“We caught up to him at any rate.”

“What on earth does that mean?”

“Jenner took his own life and left a note apologizing for what he had done and explaining why. His remains will be sent to his daughter and ex-girlfriend in Philly.”

Clint sighed as he leaned back against the wall. “It almost made me feel pity for the man; I know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my little girl.”

“Yes, but you would never betray your friends and teammates and leave them to die. Jenner could have come to SHIELD and they would have helped, he made the wrong choice and in the end he took his own life instead of facing what he did, but enough about him. How are Jasper and Eric?”

“Jasper underwent a successful surgery and is now in ICU recovering, Dr. Michaels estimated that he’ll need a few months of rehabilitation but he going to be okay. They have him in an induced coma right now as Dr. Michaels wants him to heal a bit more before they wake him up, the less stress on his body the better. From the sound of things they will be transporting him to SHIELD medical within a few days.”

“Well that’s good to hear and what about Eric?”

“Nat… he isn’t doing to good right now. They were operating on him for most of the day but had to stop as his body couldn’t handle any more stress. They assured me that they’ll be able to go in tomorrow morning to finish repairing the damage caused by Tanaka and his goons.” Clint closed his eyes as he lowered himself to the ground. “Dr. Michaels told us that it would be a miracle if he survives the surgeries and even if he does he may ever wake up again.”

“Eric is one of us now and that means he’ll beat all the odds against him just like you and I’ve always done.”

“You sound so sure of that.”

“Says the man who gave birth to a beautiful baby girl almost nine months ago, trust me, he’s going to be okay. I have to go now, the Director has order Maria and I to return to New York right away to debrief on what happened in Nepal. Люблю тебя.”

“Love you too.” Clint placed his cell phone and looked up as Phil stopped in front of him.

“Natasha?” Phil simply asked as he held a hand out for Clint.

“Yes, she and Maria are on their way back to New York.” Clint replied as took the offered hand and got up. “Jenner killed himself.”

Phil nodded as he pulled Clint into his arms. “I’m not too surprised to hear that, I trained him along with Kasey and Spencer myself.  Jenner knew that SHIELD would come after him for his betrayal.”

“They were the three agents under you until Fury assigned me to you right?” Clint asked as the pair simply stood there holding each other.

“Yes, actually I was their trainer when the first started at SHIELD, them and six others. After they're training was completed I was promoted to handler and requested those three be my assets. We were a team for four years before they were re-assigned to Jasper.” Phil took in a deep breath and took in the comforting scent of his husband. “I’m still in a state of disbelief that all three of them are gone now and knowing Jasper as I do he will blame himself and if he loses Eric…”

“That’s not going to happen; Jasper isn’t going to lose Eric. Our friends are going to pull through and they will be surrounded by people who love them.” Clint looked up and took Phil’s face in his hands. “Also you need to stop blaming yourself, none of this is your fault and there is nothing you could have done to prevent any of this from happening. Don’t even think about arguing with me on this one Phil, you know I’m right.”

“I’ve never won an argument against you and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

“Damn straight, now since we are both awake at this ridiculous hour let’s go and have an early breakfast at the twenty-four hour dinner that’s down the street. It will do us both a lot of good to get out of this place for a little bit.” Clint smiled before pulling Phil down for a quick kiss. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

* * *

 

 

Several hours later the pair where back in Jasper’s room with Clint curled up on Phil’s lap as the watched re-runs of Supernanny. “I see now why you two are such good friends; you both have the same terrible taste when it comes to television.”

“What are you talking about, this is informative programming.”

“No child of ours will ever act out this badly.”

“Actually I was thinking it would help me when dealing with Stark.” Phil replied with a chuckle.

Clint smirked and went to reply when he noticed Dr. Michaels at the door. “Phil.” Clint slipped out of Phil’s lap and pulled the other man up with him.

“Dr. Michaels.” Phil nodded at the man as he placed his arm around Clint’s waist. “Please tell me you have good news for us.”

“Eric’s surgery went really well today, there were no complications and he’s currently being moved into the ICU.” Dr. Michaels informed them as he moved further into the room. “The swelling in his brain has gone down significantly and even though he is still in a coma we are confident that he will wake up, it’s just a matter of when.” Dr. Michaels paused briefly. “Unfortunately we will have to wait until we are back in New York before we can even begin attempting at the damage done to both his optic nerves.”

“How soon can we take them back to New York?” Phil asked.

“I will be keeping a close eye on both Jasper and Eric’s recovery and if everything looks good by the end of the week we can contact SHIELD for a ride out of here by the weekend.” Dr. Michaels answered. “Also it will be several hours before you’re able to go see Eric but I will let you know as soon as that changes.”

“Thank you Dr. Michaels.” Phil took the other man’s hand and shook it.

Clint also shook the doctor’s hand before asking. “Have you had anything to eat besides the crappy hospital food yet?”

“I actually haven’t had any food since yesterday, but don’t tell Helen that.” Dr. Michaels replied with a smile.

“Well, Phil and I were just about to head out for lunch so you should join us. There is dinner down the street that has really good food and the coffee is way better than the sludge here.”

“That would be wonderful, I don’t think I’ve stepped foot out of this hospital since we got here.”

“I need to call Director Fury and give him an update but I’ll meet you two at the dinner once I’m done.”

“Don’t take too long.” Clint replied as leaned up and kissed Phil before heading out of the room with Dr. Michaels. “So here’s the plan, we both order a starter salad and then we will Skype Helen and Tasha and after we are done we can then order the greasiest burger off the menu.”

“That sounds like a good plan to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation: Люблю тебя - Love you
> 
> Thx to all who have read this story so far! The next update might take a few weeks as I'm having some issues with the current chapter!


	47. Chapter 47

There, he said his piece and told the Director exactly what he thought of that particular stupid rule and how he was planning on breaking it consequences be damned. Actually, what he had done was more like screamed it out at the man which in hindsight was a pretty dumb idea but Fury didn’t look angry he looked if anything amused and was sharing a knowing look with someone behind Jasper. Turning his head a bit, Jasper almost groaned as he locked eyes with Maria Hill, who had this look on her face that made him realize there would be a shit load of paper work in his future to keep her from sharing this particular incident with the other handlers.

“Agent Hill.”

“Sir?” Maria turns her eyes towards the Director, still fighting to keep the grin off her face.

“Could you please read back that memo for me, it wouldn’t hurt to get Agent Sitwell’s opinion on the matter.” Fury smirked as he laced his fingers together.

“Certainty Sir.” Maria replied, before clearing her throat. “Notice to all SHIELD Personnel, effective immediately the non-fraternization rule eighty-eight under subsection D is no longer in effective. All relationships within the agency must be filed by both parties with their appropriate handler and/or supervisor.”

“What do you think Agent Sitwell, anything you would care to add?”

“No, that covers it quite nicely, Sir.” Jasper replied before glancing over at Maria. “Could we perhaps write off my earlier outburst as a case of cabin fever?”

“Handle all my paperwork until your next mission and I’ll completely wipe this incident from my mind.” Maria replied, no longer hiding her grin.

“Fine.” Jasper grumbled, before turning to face the Director once more. “Sir, I would like to apologize for bursting into your office and I assure you it won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t.” Fury replied, before turning back to his computer effectively dismissing both agents without saying a word.

“The junior agents are currently in the shooting range. You’d be doing me a huge favor if you informed them that they are dismissed for the rest of the day and tell them to report back to me tomorrow morning in briefing room three.” Maria instructed as she gave Jasper’s shoulder a quick squeeze before heading towards her office.

Stepping into the elevator, Jasper pushed the button for the shooting range and was momentarily annoyed as the elevator came to a sudden stop but a smile crossed his face as the elevator doors opened. “Phil Coulson, are you going home for the day before noon?”

“Instead of responding to that I’m going to ask you what you’re doing here, isn’t it your day off?” Phil asked as he selected the parking garage level and smiled as he noticed what floor Jasper was heading to. “Going to work on your aim?”

“Shut up.” Jasper remarked, throwing a half-hearted punch at Phil’s shoulder.

Phil just laughed and didn’t say anything else until the elevator stopped at the floor of the shooting range. “Good luck.”

Jasper stepped out of the elevator and went to straighten his tie before remembering he wasn’t wearing a suit but jeans and a sweater. Suddenly feeling very naked, he nearly turned around to call back the elevator before realizing that Maria had set this up so he couldn’t back out. Jasper was willing to bet she was monitoring the log out page for the range security and she would call him if she noticed that all of the junior agents hadn’t logged out of the range before noon. “Okay Jasper, you can do this. Sure it’s been a few years but what’s the worst thing that could happen? He could say no, right that is the worst thing that can happen but he could say yes and I should stop talking to myself.” With a firm nod Jasper heading towards the door leading to the entrance of the range and entered his security code. He quickly greeted the two agents on range duty before snagging a pair of ear plugs and opening the door the led out to the actual range. He observed the twelve junior agents for several minutes, for several reasons. One because he would be soon putting in a request for a new agent for his team and the second reason was that he wanted to go over what he wanted to say one last time. Clearing his throat, Jasper pushed the button that alerted everyone in the range to holster their weapons and face him. “Agent Hill sent me down here to let you all know that you have the reminder of the day off. Report back first thing tomorrow morning in briefing room three. Agent Kovak a word before you go.”

Eric waited until the other agents had left before approaching the other man. “Agent Sitwell, its good to see you again.”

“I’m not actually working today so its Jasper and its good to see you as well.” Jasper smiled.

“So Jasper, what brings you here on your day off?”

“Actually I’m here because I wanted to ask you something. Eric, would you be interested in getting coffee with me?”

“Coffee as in a date or as in coffee between two co-workers and/or potentially friends?”

“Well, I’m asking in relation to the first one with the hopeful additional benefit of friendship but if you’d rather it be a drink between two co-workers then that’s what it will be.” Jasper replied as he nervously fiddled with the ear plugs in his hand.

“It’s a date then.” Eric smiled brightly at the other man. “I’m just going to go change into my street clothes and I’ll meet you at the elevator in fifteen.”

“Now?” Jasper asked, still in a daze that the other man actually said yes.

“Well, my day is suddenly wide open unless you have other plans.” Eric said as they left the range.

“No, I have absolutely no plans for today.”

“Good, that will leave you free for dinner later.” Eric threw a cocky smile over his shoulder as he made his way down to the locker rooms.

Jasper could swear he felt his heart skip a beat. “I’d like that.”

* * *

_The apartment was so unusually silent and for a moment he wondered if that’s what woke him up from his dreamed filled sleep. Pushing himself up by his elbows he glanced over at the alarm clock on the side table and smiled when he noticed how much time they had. Moving closer to the other man in the bed he dipped his head down and began mapping a trail down the other man’s spine with his lips only until he could feel the other man shift._

_“What time is it?”_

_“Quarter to five, we only have a few hours before we have to meet the others and I didn’t think it would be wise to waste what time alone we have left. Who knows how long this mission will take us could be weeks or worse several months.”_

_“That’s very smart thinking specialist. You know, I’ve been doing some thinking myself.” The other man replied as he rolled onto his back and brought his lover’s lips down to meet his._

_“Oh yeah, and what’s that?”_

_“I was thinking that after we’re done this mission you could move in with me.”_

_“Seriously?”_

_“Of course, but only if you want to.”_

_“Don’t be silly of course I’ll move in with you. Jasper…”_

_“Yes?”_

_“I love you.”_

The man’s eyes shot open and for a moment the only thing he could see was a blinding light and it almost seemed all around him all he could hear was several voices as if they were all speaking at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone currently reading this story and sorry for such a long wait in updating! I really had no idea where I wanted to go after the last chapter and then this chapter just wrote itself and it helped me map out the next few chapters and now all I have to do is write them!


	48. Chapter 48

“We did the best we could to repair the damage done to your optic nerves but I’m afraid the damage you sustained was too significant. Even though you still maintain a somewhat minimal vision you’re now considered legally blind and over time your condition will most likely worsen until one day you are completely blind. For now we will be able to give you a pair of strong prescription glasses that will help you with day to day tasks but I’m afraid there are many things you will no longer be able to do.”

It wasn’t easy focusing on the faces of the two doctors standing at the end of the bed so instead he focused on the hand clasped around his and tried to swallow back the anger and bitterness that was slowly creeping up inside him. Not even a full year and already his career as a field agent for SHIELD was over. He managed to survive over six years of fighting in Iraq but all it took was two missions with SHIELD and that was basically that. He was pulled back into the hospital room by his name being softly called by the man next to him. It wasn’t until then that he realized the two doctors had left.

“Eric.” Jasper softly called the man’s name once more, squeezing Eric’s hand as the other man’s eyes finally met his. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare say that, you are not to blame for what happened to me and it is not your fault that both Kasey and Spencer are dead, and it is most defiantly not your fault that Jenner did what he did. Do you understand me?”

Jasper nodded as he closed his eyes. “Eric, I love you so much. I was so afraid that I would never get another chance to tell you that and I hope you realize that no matter what I will never leave your side.”

“I love you too Jasper, more than anything else.” Eric told him as he leaned up for a kiss.

Jasper rested his head against Eric’s shoulder for a moment just breathing in the scent of the other man. “Do you remember what we were talking about our last morning before the mission?”

For the first time since he woke up a smile crossed Eric’s face. “I was dreaming of that morning before I woke up. So you better inform those doctors that you’ll be taking me home by the end of the week.”

“I let them know.” Jasper smiled as he pulled back. “Are you feeling well enough for some visitors? Clint, Phil and Tasha are here today but I’m afraid Natasha is somewhere in the Philippines with the junior agents.”

“I’d love to see them; it feels like it’s been so long. I hate to think how much Tasha might have changed.” Eric frowns as he notices the look the quickly go across Jasper’s face. “What is it, Jasper what’s wrong?”

“I just realized I haven’t told you how much time has passed by.” Jasper replied sadly. “I didn’t want to be the one to bring it up.”

“And I’ve been too afraid to ask.” Eric replied as he bit his lip and tightened his hold on Jasper’s hand. “How long, how long has it been since our last morning together in our apartment?”

“Eric, love it’s been eight and half months. It’s September fourteenth today.” Jasper spoke the words softly, his heart clenched as grief filtered across Eric’s face.

Eric closed his eyes for a moment and did his best to bottle down the grief the was joining the earlier bitterness and anger he had felt. Letting out a deep breath, Eric opened his eyes and gave Jasper a shaky smile. “I’m okay Jasper; you can go get our friends. I can handle this, I know I can. I’m just a bit shocked at how much time has passed.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in a minute.” Jasper leaned down to kiss Eric before stepping out of the room.

He heard her before he saw her and this time Eric didn’t have to force the smile that crossed his face as his eyes slowly focused on the little girl slowly walking into the room on unsteady feet just before her dads.

“Da. Up.” Tasha demanded as she looked up at Clint.

“Aren’t you forgetting something sweetie?” Clint asked as he bent down.

“Please.” Tasha added quietly a small smile crossing her face.

“Be careful sweetie.” Clint warned his daughter as he set her down next to Eric before quickly leaning over to pull the other man into a hug. “Oh god Eric, I’m so happy that you’re finally awake. Every day that went by the doctors…” Clint broke off as he let out a sob.

Eric pulled the other man back and felt a surge of panic go through him as he caught sight of the other man’s tears. “Clint, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, these are just tears of happiness that’s all.” Clint replied as he stepped back into Phil’s waiting arms.

“It’s good to have you back with us Eric.” Phil added as he ran his hand down his husband’s arm to comfort the other man.

Eric smiled at Phil before focusing his attention on Tasha who was now climbing into his lap. “I can’t get over how big she’s gotten. It being September means I missed your first birthday. I guess I missed a lot of firsts.”

“Unk.” Tasha smiled widely as she placed one her hand’s on Eric’s cheek. “Pretty.”

“I agree Tasha, your Uncle is pretty.” Jasper grinned.

Eric shot Jasper a quick glare before focusing on Tasha once again. “Not as pretty as you baby girl.”

“Pretty.” Tasha repeated before flopping down on her stomach with a sigh and closing her eyes.

Clint smiled as he watched his daughter quickly fall asleep. “Let me know if you want me to move her.”

“No, she’s fine here.” Eric replied as he ran a hand through her curly blond hair.

“Phil, I was getting ready to drag Jasper to the cafeteria when sleeping beauty here finally woke up. Would you be able to take care of that for me, I know for a fact that he hasn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon.” Clint said as he sent a narrowing glance at Jasper.

“I’m a big boy mom; I think I can walk myself to the cafeteria if I’m hungry.” Jasper said as he rolled his eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me.” Clint quickly snapped before clearing his throat once he everyone was staring at him. “What you can do then is take my husband to the cafeteria and make sure he has a decent meal in him for me, please.”

“Okay but only because you asked so nicely.” Jasper replied with a mock sigh.

“Thank you Jasper.” Clint stepped out of Phil’s arm to lean over and press a kiss on Jasper’s cheek. “

“I won’t be gone long.” Jasper said as he took Eric’s hand in his and placed a light kiss on it.

“Don’t worry Jasper, I’m not going anywhere.” Eric reassured the other man. “Now go and don’t forget to sneak something back down for me, you know medical is going to shove the blandest of food on me.”

“I’ll do that.” Jasper leaned down and covered the other man’s lips with his. “Love you.”

“I love you too.” Eric whispered back. The smile on his face stayed in place until the hospital door shut behind the other two men and then the mask fell so quickly it was a wonder he was able to keep it in place for so long.

Clint wasted no time in jumping into the bed next to his friend, and being careful to not disturb his daughter from her sleep pulled Eric into a hug. “It’s okay Eric. You can let everything out now, I’ve got you and I won’t let go until you want me to.”

Eric let out a loud sob as he freely cried for the first time in a long time into his friend’s shoulder. After several minutes the sobs became the odd sniffle and Eric ran his hand down his face to wipe off the tears. “Thank you, I really need that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“It also looks like I should be thanking you for taking care of Jasper when I couldn’t and I’m sure it couldn’t have been easy.”

“Yes, well most days it seemed like I had two small children instead of one.” Clint replied with a laugh.

Eric laughed as well and the sound surprised him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, it’s what family does.” Clint then shrugged. “Besides I needed the practice of managing two children at once.”

“Why would you need the prac…” Eric stopped mid-sentence and looked up at Clint as the smile came back to his face. “Clint, are you pregnant?”

“Yes, we just found out last week.” Clint smiled brightly. “So far the only other people who know are Nat, Jasper the Doc and now you.”

“Congratulations, I’m so happy for you and Phil.” Eric said as he placed a hand on his friend’s still flat stomach. “How far along are you?”

“Only a couple of weeks but so far everything is looking good and no morning sickness as of yet so I have my fingers crossed on that one as I was sick for the first several months of carrying Tasha.” Clint added as he smiled at his daughter. “We’re going to wait before we tell her, just in case something goes wrong.”

Eric took Clint’s hand and squeezed it; he was familiar with all the risks.

Clint squeezed back before moving to pull out his phone. “Now we better give Nat a call or she’ll be so pissed at us.”

“Jasper mentioned she was in the Philippines?”

“Yeah, it is some bullshit training mission for the unassigned junior agents.” Clint smirked as he pulled up his contact list. “I think its Fury’s way of saying sorry before he assigns Nat back on to Stark duty.”

“But Nat’s been on that one a few times now.” Eric frowned.

“Except this time she has to actually deal with the man.”

“Oh, I don’t see that ending very well.”

“No, no I don’t either.” Clint replied as they shared a smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while writing the last chapter I knew that by the end one of the boys would be waking up but I wasn't sure which one until I posted the chapter and then quickly started writing this one! Also sorry for the delay in updating! I meant to update on the weekend and kept forgetting!! Also thanks again to all my lovely readers, I hope you're all enjoying the story so far!


	49. Chapter 49

Phil paused with his coffee mid-way to his lips as he heard the front door open and shut followed by the sound of Eric’s footsteps. “I’m in the kitchen.” Phil called out as glanced at his watch to check the time. “You’re here early.”

Eric just gave a sharp nod as he stopped at the kitchen door. “I guess Clint and Tasha are still asleep?”

“They are and since it was a rough night they’ll both be down for a while longer.” Phil replied as he studied the other man. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes… no.” Eric sighed as he slumped down in one of the kitchen chairs. “Jasper and I got into an argument last night.”

“Can I ask what it was about?” Phil asked, as he passed Eric a coffee.

“Thanks.” Eric took a sip before looking up at Phil. “It was my fault really, I got on Jasper’s case about work again and the end result was him storming out. I tried calling him but he left his cell phone behind.”

“I’ll make sure to give this to him.” Phil reassured the other man as he pocketed the cell phone.

“Thanks.” Eric signed. “I just don’t understand why Jasper is stepping down as a handler I know how much he loves being in the field and that he has the same amount of love for paperwork as Clint does.”

“Jasper will still get a chance to be in the field while working under me.”

“We both know that isn’t even close to being the same thing.”

“No but it’s what he needs right now.”

Eric nodded at that. “Its stupid but I just want everything to go back to normal again. I know things can’t be the same as they used to be but a little bit of how things used to be would be nice.”

Phil snorted as he got up and carried the empty mugs to the sink. “Nothing about any of our lives has been normal per say but I get what you’re saying. Now I have to get to work, you look like you haven’t slept so I would suggest you go and do that.”

“Are you giving me permission to go snuggle with your husband?” Eric asked with a smirk on his face.

“There is a little bit of how things used to be right there.” Phil replied with a smile.

“Phil, thank you and could you please tell Jasper…” Eric paused, not sure what message he wanted to be pass along.

“You’re welcome and don’t worry, I’ll tell him to call you.” Phil replied, before picking up his briefcase and leaving the apartment.

Thirty minutes later Phil was walking into his office and wasn’t surprised to see someone already occupying his couch. Setting his briefcase and coffee down, Phil pulled out the other man’s cell phone and chucked it at his head.

“Jesus.” Jasper muttered as he quickly sat up and then scrambled to grab the phone before it hit the floor. “Thanks for the nice wake up.”

“Don’t you have your own office you could sleep in?” Phil asked as he settled into his chair and booted up the computer.

“Well yeah, but my office doesn’t have a couch like yours does.” Jasper replied as he rubbed the kinks out of his neck. “Besides maybe I just got in earlier then usual and fell asleep waiting for you.”

“You look like you got as much sleep as Eric did last night.” Phil responded as he finally looked up at his friend.

“You saw Eric?”

“He arrived at the apartment an hour ago, looking like something the dog dragged in.” Phil answered. “And seeing how I know Eric doesn’t trust the public transit system, I’m going to assume he walked from your apartment.”

“Fuck.” Jasper cursed as he ran a hand down his face. “I keep screwing things up Phil; I can’t say or do the right thing anymore.”

Getting up from his chair, Phil walked across the room and took a seat on the couch. “Jasper, I never told you this but things weren’t all together perfect right away for Clint and I after Budapest. We had a lot of ups and downs and it took a lot of time to rebuilding the trust between us, the trust I single handily destroyed but we got through it together.” Phil paused for a moment. “You’ve told me your reason for stepping down as a handler but you haven’t told Eric yet and he deserves the right to know. You’re both hurting after what happened but you’ve had more time to adjust; Eric has only been awake for a month. You need to talk to him and you shouldn’t put it off for another day.”

“You’re absolutely right, thank you Phil. Have I ever told you how grateful I am to have you as a friend?”

“Right back at you Jasper and you’re welcome.” Phil smiled as he got up. “I’m giving you the day off so head home and shower then go and talk to Eric.”

“I’ll do that.” Jasper smiled back then pulled his friend in for a quick hug. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Yeah see you then.” Shaking his head Phil sat down and studied the single photo on his desk. “My life sure got crazy since you walked into it and I wouldn’t change that for anything.”

* * *

Phil came home from work and found his family in the kitchen. He kissed Tasha on the cheek before moving to the stove and pull Clint into a dip before kissing him soundly. “Hello love.”

“Hello.” Clint smiled as he cupped Phil’s cheek and kissed him back. “Work was that good was it?”

“No work sucked, it was terribly busy without Jasper being their but I managed. I’m just really happy that it’s the weekend and I get to spend it with the two I love the most and honestly things feel like they’re finally going back to normal.”

“Normal?” Clint repeated as he raised his eye brows before turning back to face the stove.

“Well, you know us normal.” Phil told him as he wrapped his arms around Clint.

“I like us normal.” Clint smiled as he leaned back against Phil. “Eric sent me a text not too long ago; he and Jasper talked and worked everything out.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I was also told to pass along a thank you from both of them.” Clint added.

“I didn’t really do anything, basically just listened and okay maybe I threw in some helpful advice but that’s all.” Phil shrugged.

“Well, it was really good advice.” Clint told him as he leaned up to kiss the other man. “Now go wash up, dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”

 

_Several hours later_

 

Phil woke up suddenly to the feeling of Clint’s hand tightening around his bicep and the other man calling his name, the urgency in his husband’s voice had Phil instantly awake and sitting up. “Clint, what is it?”

Clint tightened his grip on Phil’s arm and gasped out. “The baby Phil, there’s something wrong with the baby.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who are following this story and to those who have left comments I really appreciate it! ^_^


	50. Chapter 50

Phil had been sitting in the waiting room with Tasha, fast asleep in his lap for what felt like forever. At first he had been paying attention to every detail of the going ons of the busy SHIELD medical center but now he was completely numb and oblivious to everything around him. It wasn’t until Jasper shook Phil’s shoulder that he realized that he was no longer alone in the room. “Jasper, Eric, thank you for coming.” Phil’s voice cracked with grief.

Eric moved forward and took Tasha into his arms while Jasper sat down in the seat next to Phil and laid a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “What did the doctor say?”

“He confirmed a miscarriage.” Phil croaked out. “He has Clint in surgery now to…” Phil broke off and tightened his hands willing the tears back.

“Phil, we are so sorry.” Eric didn’t bother fighting his tears and started rocking Tasha as she began moaning in her sleep.

“If there is anything we can do Phil, just say it.” Jasper added as he tightened his grip.

“Clint will be in surgery and then recovery for several hours, at least. Would you both be able to take Tasha home and take care of her for us?”

“Of course we can, you don’t even have to ask.” Jasper stood and grabbed Tasha’s bag.

Phil stood up and dug out a set of keys from his coat pocket. “The car and apartment keys.” Phil said before passing them to Jasper. “Thank you.”

Jasper pulled Phil into a hug before moving to stand beside Eric. “If you need anything else, just call us.”

“I will.” Phil replied softly before slumping back into the chair, still refusing to let the tears fall. Phil lost track of time once again after Jasper and Eric had left with Tasha and it wasn’t until an older nurse called out his name did he move again. “Yes?”

“Agent Coulson, I wanted to let you know your husband has been moved from recovery so you can go see him now. Also, I called David and Helen; they’ll both be here in a few hours.”

“You didn’t have to call them.” Phil said as he stood.

“I’ve known David and Helen for over twenty years and I know they’d want to be here for you and your husband.” The nurse smiled softly as she rested her hand on the Agent’s arm for a brief moment before leading him to Clint’s room. “Just buzz the nurse’s station if you need anything.”

Phil just nodded and offered the nurse a brief sad smile before moving towards his husband’s hospital bed. When Clint shuffled over in the bed he didn’t hesitate to climb in and gather the other man into his arms and simple held him as together they cried through their grief. It wasn’t until Clint dropped into a sleep that Phil finally let his eyes close and as much as he tried to will it away the memory came rushing back to him like it was yesterday.

* * *

 

“Hey Natasha, did you see where Clint disappeared to?” Phil asked as he set Tasha down.

“I think he’s in the kitchen.” Natasha answered as she turned to face Phil. “We were talking when he suddenly muttered something about checking on the cake, but that was over twenty minutes ago.”

“I’ll check there then. Hard to believe I’ve lost my own husband in our apartment.”

“It’s a full house today and for good reason.”

“Yes, and speaking of which do you mind keeping an eye on the birthday girl while I go check on Clint?”

“Of course, Tasha still has to show off her skills with the drums that I got her.” Natasha grinned as she scooped the one year old into her arms and blew a kiss into her neck.

“You just had to find her the nosiest toy possible didn’t you?”

“It’s what she picked out when we were doing some online shopping a month or so back.” Natasha replied. “Besides what my Goddaughter wants she gets.”

“That is a popular theory with everyone here; Clint and I are going to need a bigger place just for all the new toys Tasha got today.” Phil shook his head as he took in all the toys, new and old scattered across the small living room.

“More than likely you’ll have to, Christmas is only months away you know. Now go find your husband and tell him the birthday girl wants to have some cake.”

“I’m on it.” Phil replied before making his way to the kitchen. Pushing the door open his eyes quickly zeroed in on Clint who was standing at the counter, with a number one candle in one hand and a lighter in the other. Phil frowned as he studied the blank look on his husband’s face. “Clint, is everything okay in here?”

Clint’s head shot up in surprise and a smile quickly crossed his face once he realized it was Phil. “Hey, I was just getting the cake ready and of course.” Clint raised the hand with the candle. “Got caught up in the memories, it’s hard to believe our baby girl is one already.”

“Yeah it’s hard to believe how fast a year can go by.” Phil smiled as he made his way to Clint’s side, wrapping one arm around the other man’s waist; Phil leaned down and rested his chin on Clint’s shoulder.

“I was three and half months pregnant before I even realized I was carrying Tasha but even though I wasn’t aware at the time, in the beginning a part of me knew.” Clint chuckled slightly as he leaned back. “Of course at the time I thought I had some horrible illness.”

“That be the reason you avoided going to medical and hide the fact that you were sick from me I’d wager.”

“You know me so well.” Clint replied as he put down the candle and lighter and turned around in Phil’s arms.

“Clint, are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’m wonderful! Phil, I’m not sure how I know this but I just do. I feel just like I did those first few months of carrying Tasha, minus the getting sick everyday of course.” Clint pulled back as he smiled up at the other man. “Phil, I think I’m pregnant.”

* * *

Phil sighed as he opened his eyes once more; remembering the joy they both felt at the moment and in the moment that the doctor had confirmed what Clint believed and now that moment had had been stolen from them. Glancing over at Clint, he was glad to see the other man was still asleep, Clint needed the rest in order to heal and honestly Phil was terrified. Right now he couldn’t find the words he knew needed to be said. Hearing a soft knock at the door had Phil gently slipping out of the bed and across the room. The moment he opened the door he was pulled into an immense hug. Phil stood shocked for a moment before relaxing and leaning into comfort of the hug. After a few minutes he stepped back and smiled at the couple before him. “Helen, David, I’d like to say you shouldn’t have cut your trip short but I’m extremely grateful that you’re both here.”

“That’s what family’s do for each other.” Helen reminded him as she glanced around Phil. “Is Clint still sleeping?”

“Yes, the doctor might have him on a mild sedative but I actually haven’t had a chance to ask him.” Phil replied.

“Dr. Fields is on call tonight so he most likely would have but I’ll request a copy of Clint’s medical file and confirm that for you.” Dr. Michaels said as he typed out those instructions on his PDA to send to the other doctor.

“Have you gotten any sleep Phil?” Helen asked as she directed Phil out into the hallway.

“I…” Phil paused as he wasn’t even sure what day it was anymore.

“That’s what I thought; David is going to take you to the cafeteria to get some caffeine and food into you while I stay with Clint.”

“I’d rather…”

“It’s not up for discussion, you look like your about to fall over.” Helen said sternly.

“Trust me son, you won’t win an argument against her. Its best to just do as she says.” Dr. Michaels said as he placed his hand on Phil’s shoulder.

“Okay but if Clint wakes up just let him know I won’t be gone for long.”

“Of course, don’t worry about a thing.” Helen replied.

Phil smiled tiredly before pulling out his phone and turning in the direction of the elevator, muttering to himself. “I should also check with Jasper and see how Tasha’s doing.”

Helen shared a quick look with her husband before turning and walking into Clint’s room. Making her way across the room she settled into the chair next to the bed and took Clint’s hand into hers. “Hello sweetie.”

“Helen.” Clint whispered as he slowly opened his eyes.

“Stupid question but how are you feeling?”

“Empty.” Clint’s eyes closed as the tears welled up.

Helen closed her eyes and squeezed Clint’s hand. It had been over forty years but she could still remember the pain of losing her unborn child. “I know sweetie, and you won’t feel like that forever, even though right now I know it does.”

“Promise?” Clint replied tiredly.

“I promise.” Helen leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Now try and get some sleep, I’ll watch over you until Phil gets back.”

“Okay.” Clint mumbled, already drifting back to sleep.

The next time he woke up, Clint could feel the steady presence of his husband behind. Painfully aware of his new stitches, Clint carefully turned until he was face to face with Phil and wasn’t surprised to see that the other man was awake and watching him. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Phil replied as he smiled tiredly.

“You don’t look like you’ve gotten any sleep.” Clint said after a moment of studying the other man.

“I got a few hours in, Helen saw to that.” Phil replied as he took one of Clint’s hand’s in his. “She threaten to sedate me if I didn’t at least attempt to get some sleep and you know how I feel about sedatives.”

“I do and I’m glad you listened to her and got at least some sleep.” Clint replied as he glanced down at their joint hands. “I didn’t get to ask earlier but where is Tasha, is she okay?”

“Tasha’s fine, she’s currently at home being spoiled rotten by her two favorite Uncles.” Phil waited until Clint looked back up at him before continuing. “She’s been asking for you, I told Jasper and Eric that they should bring her by when you were up for it.”

Clint bit his lip and blinked back the tears as he nodded. “I don’t understand…” Clint paused as he tried fighting back the tears but couldn’t. “I was on several dangerous missions when I was first carrying Tasha and that was while I wasn’t even aware I was pregnant and this time… this time I was so damn careful and I just don’t understand what I did wrong.”

Phil quickly brought his other hand up and wiped the tears falling down Clint’s face. “This is not your fault; don’t for one moment think this is your fault.” Phil tightened his grip on Clint’s hand, thinking back to his conversation with David earlier. “Unfortunately these things happen and though I know I can’t possible feel the loss of our unborn child as deeply as I know you do just know that I’m grieving with you and together we can get through this.”

“We always talked about having more children, but what if I decide that I can’t take the risk of this happening again? What If I told you I didn’t want to have any more children?”

“Then we won’t have any more children.” Phil answered as he brought Clint closer to himself. “Right now isn’t the time to decided anything but when the time is right, you and I will talk about this and together we will make that decision.”

Clint closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against Phil’s shoulder. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like such a terrible person right now but this was always how this was going to turn out I'm afraid. This wasn't an easy chapter for me to write and I'm not sure how satisfied I am with it but I've re-read it several times and there isn't anything I want to change. So as always, thank you to all those who are following this story and thank you as well to those who left a comment! Sorry I didn't have a chance to reply like I normally do, life got crazy!


	51. Chapter 51

_Many months later_

“Director Fury just left for Malibu.” Phil announced as he stepped into the range.

“Is Stark giving Nat problems again?” Clint asked before setting his bow down and turning to face Phil.

“Apparently Stark destroyed most of his place last night while getting into a fight with Coronel Rhodes.”

“Wow that must have been some fight for them to destroy the place.”

“Well to be fair they were both in Iron Man suits at the time.”

“Ah, that would do it then.” Clint shook his head. “Poor Nat is going to need a vacation after this assignment; it’s already lasted longer than it should have.”

“From my understanding her job is almost done and she should be home by the end of the month.”

“Well that’s good then. So what does the Director need from us?”

“He’s requested that I retrieve a package from storage and bring it down to Malibu. It was also strongly hinted that I might being doing my own babysitting of Stark for a while so I requested that you and Tasha be able to join me and the Director agreed.” Phil smiled. “I also hope to be able to introduce you and Tasha to Ms. Potts.”

“It would be lovely to finally meet her.” Clint smiled, as he began putting his bow away. “I take it we will be leaving New York fairly soon?”

“The jet leaves in two hours and I still have to run uptown to get the package out of storage. Will you be okay getting everything together for us and Tasha?”

“Yes.” Clint replied as he stored his bow. “You should get moving, traffic is murder at this time of day. Tasha and I will meet you at the jet in an hour and a half.”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you then.” Phil leaned in for a kiss before heading out of the range.

* * *

“Wow the home of Tony Stark, not as big as it looks in the pictures.” Clint observed as Phil parked the car. “But it does have a killer view.”

“Too many windows for my liking but I will agree the view is nice.” Phil replied as he unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face Clint. “I’m going to go with Agents Simmons and Reed to deliver this package to Stark, and then find out exactly what I’ll be doing here. Hopefully it won’t take too long.”

“That’s okay, Tasha is out like a light and I don’t think she’ll be waking up any time soon.” Clint smiled as he glanced back at their daughter. “Hey do me a favor and send Nat over when you see her.”

“I’ll do that.” Phil leaned over and gently kissed Clint. “I love you.”

Clint couldn’t help the laugh the escaped past his lips. “I’m sorry but you sound as if you’re marching off to your doom.”

“I’m going to be dealing with Stark for who knows how long, I might as well be.”

“Oh surely he can’t be all that bad.”

“You haven’t met the man.” Phil frowned. “On second thought you two would most likely hit it off.”

“So I guess that’s a no to me meeting him then?”

“You got that right.”

Clint laughed again before leaning over and kissing Phil back. “I love you too handsome, now you better get going before the other agents start questioning what’s taking you so long to get out of the car.”

“Fine, I’ll text you if this ends up taking longer than planned.” Phil let out another sigh before getting out of the car and joining the other agents.

Double checking that Tasha was still asleep, Clint rolled down the windows a bit to allow fresh air to flow through the car before stepping out of the vehicle to stretch. He walked around the car a few times before leaning against the hood. It wasn’t long before the familiar sight of Natasha came into view. Clint pushed himself off the hood and braced himself as Natasha leaped into his arms.

“I’ve missed you.” Natasha mumbled as she hugged Clint.

“Missed you too Nat.” Clint replied as he hugged back. “Phil told me that one more month and you should be done this assignment.”

“I’ve already put in a request for a solo mission somewhere in the East.”

“Mother country?”

“Perhaps.” Natasha shrugged as she settled her feet on the floor. “Where is my Goddaughter?”

Clint walked around the car and gestured into the back seat. “She is currently out like a light.”

“Oh damn, I wanted to see her.” Natasha sighed as she looked into the car. “She’s grown so much in the last nine months.”

“Hard to believe she’ll be two in three months.” Clint smiled. “These last nine months have really flown by.”

“Clint, I’m sorry.” Natasha said softly. “Sorry I wasn’t there for you like I should have been when you needed me.”

“Nat you didn’t…”

“No Clint, I should have been there for you. We’ve been friends for a very long time and you’ve always been there for me and you were hurting in the worst possible way and I wasn’t there for you.” Natasha squeezed her eyes shut as the unfamiliar tears welled into her eyes. “As a friend I failed you and for that I’m sorry.”

Clint pulled Natasha back into his arms and just held her as they both cried. “It’s okay Nat, I love you and though I totally think me saying this is unnecessary I forgive you.”

They stood there holding each other for a long while before Natasha pulled back and looked down at her watch. “Damn I need to get going. I have to meet Ms. Potts over at Stark Industries in fifteen minutes.”

“Well it looks like we will be here for a little while so hopefully we can get together before Phil, Tasha and I have to get back to New York.”

“I hope so.” Natasha replied as she climbed into her car. “Give Tasha a kiss for me when she wakes up.”

“I will, talk to you soon.” Clint replied waving as Natasha drove off before settling in to wait for Phil to return.

* * *

“The antidote that we gave Stark is temporary, I’m afraid the only one who can find the cure to save his life is Stark himself.”

“You believe Howard has left him everything he needs to do that?”

“God I hope so, the Avengers Initiative needs Iron Man and right now as it is Iron Man is Tony Stark. Besides if there is anyone who can pull this off it’s that man.”

Phil hummed in agreement and turned to face the Director. “You also think Stark will be usefully when it comes to Doctor Banner.”

“Perhaps.”

“So we have a narcissist genius, a brilliant man with anger issues, a super spy and the world’s greatest marksman, who are you planning on getting to lead this group?”

“I have a man who I think will be more the capable for the job, it’s all just a matter of finding him.”

“Howard Stark has had a team looking for him since he went missing and even after all these years haven’t found any trace, what makes you think they’ll find him in time?”

“A hunch.”

“A hunch.” Phil echoed.

“Name one time a hunch of mine hasn’t played out.”

“I could name several but I don’t wish to keep my husband and daughter waiting.” Phil replied drily.

Nick was laughing even as he was flipping the other man off. “I’ll be here for another day or so before heading back to New York, keep me appraised to Stark’s progress. Being the genius that he is, it should take him to long to figure this out.”

“If he gets to work right away and doesn’t sneak off.”

“You think he will?”

“Oh I’m counting on it, that’s why I left Agent Simmons in charge today.” Phil replied as he slid his sun glasses back on. “Well I’m going to get going, I’ll report back sometime later.” Phil waited until the Director was out of sight before turning around and going back to Agent Simmons.

“Agent Coulson, I’ve placed men around the perimeter as you requested.” Agent Simmons said as he noticed the other agent approach.

“Good well I’ll leave everything in your hands for the rest of the day Agent, if anything comes up or when Stark does leave please call me.”

“Of course Sir.”

Nodding at the other agent Phil turned and headed back towards the driveway. He had to stop at try and contain the smirk off his face as he watched Nick with Tasha, the only one who could make the most dangerous man Phil had ever met into an instant teddy bear. “Did she just wake up?” Phil asked as he came to Clint’s side.

“Just a few minutes before the Director showed up. He’s declaring it’s because she sensed her third favorite person approaching.”

“That’s because it’s true.” Nick replied, not glancing away from Tasha.

Clint turned to face Phil and rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say Director, I just wouldn’t advise repeating that in front of Natasha.”

“Noted.” Nick smirked as he past Tasha back to Clint. “Well I should get going, I have a meeting with the dick head of the Los Angeles office. I’ll talk to you both later.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand that man.” Clint muttered as Nick drove off.

“Join the club.” Phil replied. “Shall we get moving? I shouldn’t have to come back at all today.”

“That’s good to hear.” Clint smiled as he buckled Tasha in. “Actually before Fury showed up I was reading about a beach not far from where were staying. I thought we could take Tasha there after we get everything settled.”

“That sounds like a good plan to me.” Phil smiled back before the pair climbed into the car and headed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the small wait for this chapter! This is a crazy time of the year for me at work and it doesn't slow down until the end of April and I had actually planned for this story to be done before now but I just don't want to be done writing this story, it's too much fun! But the next chapter is already half typed out so hopefully I won't take a few weeks to update again. Also quick thanks once again to all of those following this story!


	52. Chapter 52

Phil smiled as he watched his husband and daughter play together in the surf. Tasha’s eyes had widen the moment she first stepped onto the sand and the young girl had wasted no time rushing to the edge of the water, her eyes filled with a curious wonder as the water rolled over her feet. Phil let out a sigh as the ringing of his phone interrupted the moment. Glancing at his watch he was surprised to see they did get a few hours of uninterrupted time in. “Coulson.”

“Agent Coulson, its Simmons. I’m just calling to let you know that Stark somehow managed to slip past they agent’s I posted.”

“Of course he did.” Phil mostly muttered to himself. “Where your men able to follow him?”

“No Sir but reports say he went to Stark Industries and spoke to Ms. Potts for several minutes before leaving. I’m not too sure where he is heading now.”

“Chances are he’s on his way back but if he doesn’t show up in an hour or two please let me know.”

“Of course Sir.”

Phil disconnected the call and was about to set his phone back down when it began ringing again. “Good god now what could it be?” Phil frowned as he glanced down at the call display and was surprised to see Nick’s number flash back at him. “Coulson.”

“How fast can you get over to New Mexico?”

“Umm, could most likely be there by the end of the day.” Phil answered as he glanced at the time and quickly did the math in his head. “What’s in New Mexico?”

“Not really sure yet, that’s why I need you and Barton over there ASAP.”

“So there is no official report yet?”

“Not exactly but regardless that official report will say satellite debris. I’ll the details to your phone, call me when you’ve arrived on site. I have Agent Sitwell putting a team together in New York and he and the other agents will be joining you tomorrow to assist in containing the site.”

“Copy that Sir.”

“What was that all about?” Clint asked as he sat down next to Phil.

“It seems there is a situation in New Mexico, something that the Director seems to want hushed up rather quickly.” Phil replied, as he dug out Tasha’s towel from the bag. “He didn’t really give me much details except for the fact that our official reports will be along the lines of satellite debris.”

“That sounds more like alien cover up if you ask me.” Clint grinned as he dried Tasha off. “Well I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t unpack anything yet. I assume we are leaving right away?”

“I just need to speak with Stark and then we can head out.” Phil answered as he began gathering their things.

“Okay, where you ever able to get a hold of Ms. Potts?” Clint asked as he lifted Tasha up and they made their way back to the car.

“I tried her cell several times but it just went to voicemail which is just as well now that we are leaving.” Phil replied as he unlocked the car. “Here let me take her.”

Clint passed Tasha to Phil and the dug out his phone. “Nat just sent me a text, just says that Stark has left Stark Industries and is heading back home with something he grabbed from his office.”

“Oh good he’ll beat us there then, I’d hate to have to sit around and wait for him and it sounds like the sooner we get to New Mexico the better.”

Clint nodded in agreement as he quickly typed out a message. “I’m just letting Nat know that we’ve be reassigned and that we will talk to her soon.”

“Maybe wish her luck on the finally month of her assignment.” Phil added drily. “She’s going to need it.”

* * *

“Okay I’ll be back in a few minutes, five minutes top.”

“Take your time Phil, we’ll be fine here.” Clint replied as he worked his way around the damage to the balcony. “Tasha and I will just stand here and take in the view.”

The matching grins tossed his way had Phil concerned for the hair he had left on his head. “Right, just don’t touch anything. Lord knows what Stark has done to this place.”

“Roger that, now will you stop delaying and get downstairs and talk to Stark.”

“Five minutes top.” Phil repeated before making his way down the staircase and stopping at the glass door for a brief second to punch in his code to enter Stark’s lab, all the while trying to mentally and physically prepare himself to deal with the other man. “I heard you broke the perimeter.” Phil starts as he walks towards Stark.

“Ah yeah, that was like three years ago, where have you been?”

“I was busy doing some stuff.” Phil winced at his own wording.

“Yeah, well me too and it worked. Hey I’m playing for the home team Coulson, you and all of you and all your fabulous fury freak brothers, you going to let me work or break my balls?”

Phil had stopped and was studying a pile of junk before reaching in and pulling out a round shield. “What is this doing here?”

“That’s it. Bring it to me.”

“Do you know what this is?” Phil asked as he passed over the shield.

“It’s exactly what I need to make this work.” Tony replied as he took the shield. “Lift the coil, put your knees into it. There you go and drop it.” Tony quickly turns and grabs a level before turning back and placing it on the coil. “Perfectly level, now I’m busy so what do you want?”

“Nothing, just wanted to come down and say goodbye. I’ve been re-assigned.”

“Huh.” Tony finally turned his attention to the agent.

“Director Fury wants me in New Mexico.” Phil replied with a shrug.

“Fantastic, the land of enchantment.”

“So I’m told.” Phil frowned, and the land of dry heat.

“Secret stuff?”

“Something like that, Well, good luck.” Phil answered before reaching over to shake Tony’s hand.

“Bye. Thanks.”

“We need you.” Phil would never admit he said those three words to Tony Stark, ever.

“Yeah, more than you know.” Tony smirked.

“Not that much.” Phil smirked back before turning and leaving the lab.

* * *

“It’s okay Natalie I’m pretty sure I know exactly where I left my phone last night, I’ll just run in and grab it.” Pepper assured her assistant as Happy pulled in behind a car parked in Tony’s driveway. Getting out of the car Pepper rushed towards the mansion giving the other car a quick glance trying to figure out whose car it could possibly belong to. She couldn’t help the sigh that escaped past her lips as Pepper took in the damage that had been done. Careful of the rubble on the ground she made her way to the kitchen and was happy to see that for the most part this room managed to avoid last night’s onslaught and was even happier to find her phone right where she left it, also undamaged. “No surprise it’s dead.” Pepper muttered to herself as she pocketed the phone before turning and heading back to the main room. She was at the door when the sound of a young child’s laughter had her pausing and glancing over at the balcony; it was the most out of place sound she had ever heard in this mansion. Pepper swiftly made her way across the room and out onto the balcony and tried to stifle the sound of shock she made at the sight of a good looking young man spinning a young girl, who was clearly his daughter by they're matching grins, around in circles. “Sorry.” Pepper all but blurted out as she realized the pair had stopped what they were doing and were now studying her.

“Pretty, Da.”

“Yes sweet-pea.” Clint shifted Tasha onto his other hip and studied the red-headed woman before them. “I’m going to take a wild guess and say you’re the famous Pepper Potts.”

“I am and that would make you Clint and Tasha Coulson I assume.” Pepper replied as she stepped further out into the balcony. “It’s wonderfully to finally meet you both.”

“Likewise.” Clint smiled and shook the offered hand. “I know Phil was hoping we could get together while we were here but I’m afraid we have to leave town suddenly.”

“Well that’s too bad, I would have enjoyed that.” Pepper smiled down at the young girl. “She is beautiful, how old is she now?”

“Twenty months.” Clint replied. “She’s currently going through an insane growth streak right now and most of the clothes fit one week and then the next they are too small.”

“I’m actually going to Milan in a few weeks, it’s for business but I’m going to sneak away for a few hours to get some shopping in. So I’ll be shipping you and Phil a ton of summer outfits for Tasha.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to, besides nothing is more fun than buying clothes for little girls.” Pepper replied. “So are you two up here waiting for Phil?”

“Yeah, he’s just downstairs telling Stark to behave himself.”

Pepper couldn’t help but scoff at that. “I wish he’d listen but I know Tony too well.”

“I’m sure he’ll be hip deep into shenanigans before I even make it to LAX.”

“Phil.” Pepper smiled as she moved to hug him. “It’s wonderful to see you again. How have you been?”

“Good as always, and yourself Ms. Potts?”

“I’ve been busy, running a company and trying to keep a giant man child under control.” Pepper smiled then swatted Phil’s shoulder. “Also how many times do I have to remind you to call me Pepper? We’ve been friends for almost two years now, none of that last name bullshit.”

“I like her.” Clint smiled as he set Tasha down so she could run over to Phil.

“The feeling is mutual.” Pepper smiled back at Clint before looking down at the little girl who was studying her around Phil’s legs. “Well I wish I could stay and talk longer but I have a meeting I need to get to. But hopefully one day soon will be in the same town again.”

“That would be lovely Pepper. Well good luck with running the company and I hope the rest of the Stark Expo goes without a hitch.”

“Please, now you’ve gone and done it.” Pepper laughed as she pulled Phil in for another hug. “When shit hits the fan I’ll be leaving a very nasty message on your phone.”

“Don’t worry I’m sure everything will be fine and hey don’t worry about Stark either, he’s got a lot on his mind right now but I know at the end of it all he’ll be fine and back to his normal self.”

Pepper blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay, before glancing around Phil to look at Clint. “Is it hard living with someone who can always tell what you’re thinking?”

“Most of the time it can be and others… well at other times it’s a blessing in disguise.” Clint replied as he smiled at Phil.

Pepper smiled as she studied the family, they made such a beautiful picture together. “Well Clint it was lovely to finally meet you and Tasha and actually I’ve been meaning to ask, Tasha is such a beautiful and unique name. How did you come up with it?”

“My best friend and Tasha’s God Mother’s name is Natasha so she’s named after her.” Clint replied as he lifted Tasha into his arms once more.

“Natasha.” Pepper paused. “She doesn’t happen to go by the name Natalie at all, does she?”

Clint tossed his head back and laughed as Phil just stared at Pepper before asking. “How long have you known?”

“Since she tossed Happy down in the ring like he was nothing and also her resume was a little too impressive for someone who is just a notary.”

“Maybe instead of trying to recruit Stark maybe we should be getting Pepper into Shield.” Clint muttered to Phil. “She’d be terrifying as a handler.”

“With experience after all the years she’s handled Stark.” Phil smirked at the thought.

“I don’t know what you two are smirking and whispering about but I’m sure whatever it is it isn’t good, so quit it.” Pepper said as she sent them both a mock glare before moving back towards the house. “I’ll talk to you both of you soon, take care.”

* * *

_Several hours later_

Shutting off the engine, Phil glanced over at his two sleeping passengers. Glad that both had been able to sleep through the long drive from the airport. He was especially glad that Clint hadn’t woken up while he had stopped to fuel up at the gas station. Glancing back at his husband one last time Phil quietly exited the car and took a few steps forward before glancing down at where Shield’s Intel had said the crater would be. Studying what he really wished had just been some satellite debris he hit the speed dial button and brought his phone up. “Sir, we’ve found it.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such the long wait for this chapter! I had this chapter half done when I posted the last one and it took until yesterday to finish it! I was really wanting to put in more Tony and not just the bit I stole from Iron Man 2 but sadly my Tony Stark voice wouldn't work but since this all leads up to The Avengers story line he will be back! So thanks once more to everyone following this story and I'll say sorry now as there won't be another update until May.


	53. Chapter 53

“So, Puente Antiguo, New Mexico… exciting place. Hopefully you won’t have to take out anymore armed citizens with flour while we are here.”

“I thought you were sleeping.” Phil replied as he turned to face Clint, squinting as the sun hit his eyes.

“I woke up when the car stopped and went back to sleep once I knew you had everything under control.” Clint smiled as he took his place next to Phil and looked down. “So that’s what we are here for, interesting. What is Jasper and the team’s arrival time?”

“They should be along any time now.” Phil replied as he turned too glance at the road behind them before turning back around. “Can you make out what it is?”

“It’s no satellite debris I’ll tell you that much.” Clint replied as he studied the object. “Honestly Phil it looks like a giant hammer. It would be nice to get a closer look.”

“Once the cavalry arrives we will clear all these people out of here and we will do just that.” Phil replied as he slipped his sunglasses back on. “Tasha still sleeping?”

“She was just in the process of waking up when I stepped out of the car.” Clint replied as he walked back towards the car. “And there are those pretty blue eyes, good morning sweetheart.”

“Da!” Tasha tossed up her arms and tried to get up before tossing a look at the restraints that held her back.

“Jesus, our daughter has already perfected the Phil Coulson glare.” Clint chuckled as he quickly released Tasha from her car seat. “Just a sec, you need your shoes on before you can walk around. Okay your good, go see your Daddy.”

Phil smiled and bent down to lift his daughter into his arms. “Morning sleepy head.”

“Da-da.” Tasha beamed at Phil before glancing around him to take in all the activity down below.

“Incoming.” Clint announced as he tilted his head to the side.

Phil glanced down the road they had just travelled on and even though he didn’t have the amazing hearing Clint had he could see the dust clouds that indicated several vehicles were coming their way. “Director Fury has ordered that I go into town to acquire all the data collected by a local scientist in relation to this matter and he’s made it clear that it needs to happen sooner rather than later. I’m leaving Jasper in charge of the site set up while I’m gone but I would appreciate it if you’d also keep an eye on things for me. I also asked that someone trust worthy be brought along to watch Tasha for us while we can’t.”

“You mean trust some weirdo stranger to watch our daughter? I thought we agreed that we’d interview people and then do a thorough background check on that person and all known friends and relatives before we hired anyone.” Clint frowned.

“I’m pretty sure Jasper wouldn’t bring some weirdo stranger to watch his only niece.” Phil replied as an SUV pulled up next to their car.

“He better not of.” Clint muttered as Jasper and another person got out of the SUV.

“Hey you two.” Jasper waved and then beamed down at Tasha as she wiggled out of Phil’s arms and made her way over to him. Jasper scooped her into his arms once Tasha reached him. “And how’s my favorite girl doing?”

Tasha began telling a story which tapered off into a squeal when she saw who was with Jasper.

Eric laughed as he rounded the SUV and plucked Tasha out of Jasper’s arms. “Well, I think that settles the argument about who her favorite uncle is.”

“Yeah, the one who bribes her with sweets but just so you’re aware that if she ends up having cavities you’ll be paying the dentist bill.” Clint grinned as he and Phil came over. “I’m glad you’re here, it will be nice for Tasha to have another familiar face and not some… well someone she doesn’t know.”

“I think the word you used was weirdo stranger.” Phil quipped.

“Shut up Phil.”

“Well, you got it half right.” Jasper joked.

“I’d smack you but I don’t want to be teaching Tasha about violence so early in her life.” Eric commented as he turned to face Clint. “You going for a new look?”

“No, I forgot to pack my razor and Phil is being weird and won’t let me use his.” Clint replied as he rubbed the stubble on his face. “Now let’s go check out the area while our men clear out the locals.”

* * *

_Several hours later_

“So how’d it go?”

“As well as could be expected when you’re taking a scientists life works from them.” Phil replied as walked up the stairs. “What can you tell me?”

“This thing is throwing off some sort of energy reading and the team can’t get a lock on it yet.” Jasper replied as he gestured to the computers. “But I’ve been assured that they will have answers soon. But one thing they are all agreeing on is that they don’t believe the object is from anywhere around here.”

“Please don’t tell me that didn’t started the other dimensions argument. Right, of course it did.” Phil said as Jasper just tossed him a look. “Well, I’ll go and try to give the Director an update, not that there is much to report.”

“Just tell him that we have confirmed that an alien device has crashed landed in the middle of nowhere New Mexico and so far we know nothing about it other than the fact that nobody can lift it and it’s giving out an energy reading that is throwing off our equipment and scientists.” Jasper shrugged. “We’ve only been at the site for six hours, I sure the director isn’t expecting any more than that.”

“Maybe you should handle the updates to the Director.” Phil replied as he glanced up at the clock to work out the time difference. “I’ll be in the back office, grab me if anything changes.”

Jasper nodded in reply as Phil left the room before frowning down at his phone as he tried to get it working again.

“Sir, we have a commercial aircraft coming right over us, Southwest Airlines Flight 5434.”

“Re-route it like all the others.” Jasper ordered as he moved to stand behind the other agent.

Carrying out the orders the Agent frowned as the security system pulled up one of the camera views. “Uh, Sir we go something outside the fence… west side.”

Jasper glanced at the screen and took in the opening in the fence before lifting up the radio. “Delancy, Jackson; west side perimeter, go check it out.” Jasper frowned as several minutes passed and no report was coming in. “Delancy, Jackson; report.” Jasper waited a few more seconds before turning back towards the other agent. “Send a message to Agent Coulson, let him know we have a possible intruder.”

* * *

“We need eyes up high, with a gun.”

“That’s my cue, hopefully I won’t be too long.” Clint said as he grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch before moving over and leaned down to kiss Tasha. “Night baby girl, you be good for Uncle Eric.” Straitening, Clint put in his ear piece and turned to face Eric. “She shouldn’t give you any troubles when you put her down for bed but if she does put up too much of fuss she can stay up until I get back.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, we’ll be good.” Eric replied as he settled down next to Tasha.

“Thanks.” Clint smiled as he zipped up his jacket and made his way to the weapons truck. He moved to grab the snipers rifle when the bow caught his eye and he didn’t hesitate to reach up and grab it instead before making his way to the crane. As it rose he got the bow ready and quickly locked onto the intruder.

“Barton, talk to me.”

Clint smiled as Phil’s voice filtered through the radio. “Do you want me to slow him down Sir or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?”

“I’ll let you know.”

Clint relaxed his shoulders as the rain came down harder, prepared to stand there for hours if he needed to. He watched as big, blond and handsome tossed around SHIELD agents like they were nothing. “You better call it Coulson, because I’m starting to root for this guy.” Clint smirked as an Agent he wasn’t particularly fond of was body slammed by the intruder but frowned as he realized there was nothing standing between the intruder and the hammer. “Last chance sir.”

“Wait, I want to see this.”

Clint eased back on the draw string and watched as the intruder stepped up to the hammer and grasped it by the handle and attempted to lift it. The noise the other man made when he failed to do so would haunt Clint for a while.

“All right, shows over, ground units move in.”

Clint brought down the bow and was jumping off the crane before it reached the ground. He placed the bow back in the trailer and was soaking wet by the time he walked back into the trailer that was set up as temporary lodgings for his family.

“You’re getting water everywhere.”

“Gee, sorry mom.” Clint’s smirk grew as the towel smacked him the face. “Thanks, how was she?”

“Good, she’s out like a light now.” Eric replied as he settle back in one of the chairs.

“All this traveling has tucked her right out but I’m glad she was able to come with us as I know that won’t always be the case.” Clint set the damp towel and took the hot coffee pushed his way with a grateful smile.

“You know that I will take care of her whenever that’s the case.” Eric told him as he picked up his own coffee.

“Thanks Eric.” Clint replied, leaning back and taking a long sip from the mug.

“So what or who was causing the commotion out there?”

“Some buff gorgeous blond man.”

“Oh?” Eric’s eyebrows raised in interest.

“Yeah, he was tossing SHIELD agents left, right and center. He was on a mission and nothing we put in his path was going to stop him.”

“Did you have to take him out?”

“No, Phil started to give the order but changed his mind. Tall and handsome reached the giant hammer and Phil wanted to see what would happen.” Clint paused to finish off his coffee.

“And?”

“Nothing happened, the man tried lifting it and when he couldn’t, fell to his knees and just stared up at the sky. It was a bit of a sad sight and I felt sorry for the guy.” Clint told him as he remembered the look of despair on the intruders face. “After that he allowed SHIELD agents to take him into custody and Phil is most likely talking to him now, trying to work out who he is and where he came from.”

“Well, if he’s linked to the hammer then I highly doubt he’s from around here.”

“Doubtful.” Clint echoed as moved to grab more coffee, he opened his mouth to ask Eric if he wanted some when Tasha’s screaming cries filled the trailer. Startled, Clint nearly dropped his mug. “Sounds like someone got woken up by a nightmare, I’ll be right back.” Clint tried to keep the panic down as he rushed to the back of the trailer where Tasha’s room had been set up. Despite telling Eric that it sounded like a nightmare had woken his daughter up he was didn’t think that was the case as she sounded down right terrified, a sound he had never heard from her before. Rushing into the room Clint was halfway to the crib when a flash of green in the corner caught his eyes. Without hesitation he pulled out his gun from his side holster and pointed it towards what he now saw was a man. “Who the fuck are you?”

Loki narrowed his eyes at the human male before him, like the child, this man could see him while his magic cloaked him. With a frown and a wave of his hand, for appearance sake, Loki froze everything around himself and the human male and sent the primitive weapon the man held out of existence. “Both you and the child can see me, yet you both appear to be simple humans, interesting.”

The fact that his gun had disappeared from his hands didn’t bother Clint what bothered him was that his daughter stood in her crib, frozen in mid-cry. “What the hell did you do to my daughter?” Clint spat out as he kept his body between his daughter and the intruder.

“Ah, so you two share blood. That explains how you both can see me but not how its possible that you do.” Loki mused as he took a few steps forward.

“I see many things that others cannot.” Clint replied as he took an instinctive step back.

A smile slowly crossed Loki’s face as he nodded. “Yes, you’ve seen much in your life Clinton Francis Barton.”

Fear chilled Clint’s spine. “How do you…”

Loki just tapped the side of his head as he continued moving forward. “Your thoughts are rather loud Clinton. I may have use for you, but now is not the time and for now you need to forget you ever saw me.” With that, Loki closed the distance and placed his hand on the side of the archer’s face and proceed to remove all traces of his existent from the man’s mind before heading back to Asgard and from his throne he watched as Thor came to terms with his banishment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to update!! First I wrote the ending of this chapter then the start and struggled to find the time to write the middle. So I completely blame work on the delay!! Of course starting a new job next week so the craziness won't be going away anytime soon but I will start working on the next chapter this weekend and hopefully it doesn't take me a month to update again but I won't promise anything! So as always, thanks to everyone following this story and huge thanks to those who reviewed. Your words really help encourage me to continue!


	54. Chapter 54

Watching a group of scientists study a glowing alien artifact in a facility located in the middle of nowhere for ten hours a day was defiantly not on Clint’s list of favorite assignments but on the bright side at the end of his shift he went to his quarter’s and got to watch his little girl play while his husband cooked them all dinner and talked about his day. This had been their routine for the last three and a half weeks now so it surprised Clint when he walked into the living room and saw that Jessica was still watching Tasha. “Hey you two, how’d it go today?”

 

“Da!” Tasha beamed, dropping what she had in her hands before running and leaping into Clint’s arms.

 

“It went really well, except someone didn’t want to take her nap today so she’ll be ready for bed pretty early tonight.” Jessica answered as she started picking up toys.

 

“Don’t bother with that Jess, I can get it.” Clint told her as he set Tasha back down on her feet. “Actually, little miss here can pick up her own toys.”

 

“Yes.” Tasha nodded before moving towards the center of destruction and began picking up her toys.

 

Clint glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was almost six and normally Phil was done at four. “I’m sorry you had to stay later, I hope Phil called and told you he was running later then usually.”

 

“It’s totally fine Clint and yes he did call.” Jess replied as she grabbed her bag. “He wanted me to tell you to go ahead and eat without him as he was going to be pretty late tonight.”

 

“Okay, thanks again Jess.” Clint smiled as he followed the teenager to the front door. “Phil and I really appreciate you watching Tasha for us while we are stationed here.”

 

“Honestly it’s my pleasure, I love watching Tasha and I sure will miss her when you guys are done here.”

 

“I know she’ll miss you as well but don’t worry from the sound of things we will be here for a few more months at least.” Clint smiled down at his daughter as her arms went around his legs. “You better get back to your quarters before your mom starts to worry.”

 

“Oh gosh, yeah she’ll freak if I’m even slightly late.” Jess winced as she glanced at the time. “So you’re off duty until Thursday right?”

 

“That’s right, and I’m not on duty until ten so you don’t have to be here until nine thirty.”

 

“Sounds good, I’ll see you then. Good night Clint, night Tasha.”

 

“Night.” Tasha waved.

 

“Night Jess.” Clint replied, waiting until the girl was in the secured elevator before shutting the door. “Well sweetie, it’s just the two of us for dinner tonight. What are you wanting to eat?”

 

“Ghetti.”

 

“Spaghetti, excellent choice.” Clint replied.

 

“Puppy join?” Tasha asked as she moved to grab her stuffed dog from the couch.

 

“Of course puppy can join us for dinner.” Clint replied as he set a pot of water on to boil before turning to watch as Tasha walked in with her stuffed dog. It was almost hard to believe she would be turning two in a month, Clint really wasn’t sure how the last year flew by so fast.

 

“Da, baby?”

 

Clint glanced down at Tasha in confusion. “Sorry, what was that sweetie?”

 

“Baby, dolly.” Tasha replied before walking out of the kitchen then back again with said doll in question. “Baby.”

 

Clint kneeled down and allowed Tasha to place the doll in his arms. “Well this is new, did Jess give this to you?”

 

“Yes.” Tasha smiled as she began to pet the dolls head. “Pretty.”

 

“Just like you baby girl.” Clint smiled as he looked down at the doll in his arms and instantly he felt an ache of longing for the baby he never had a chance to hold. “Tasha.” Clint paused to gather the words he wanted to say. “Would you like to have a brother or sister?”

 

“Like Cinder?”

 

Clint puzzled over that for a moment before coming to a realization at what his daughter meant. “Well not like Cinderella’s siblings, more like Princess Merida’s from Brave.”

 

The frown that crossed Tasha’s face quickly disappeared as she beamed up at Clint. “Yes, be my baby.”

 

“Yes sweetie, it would be your baby as well.” Clint pulled Tasha into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Now why don’t you go play with puppy and dolly until dinner is ready.”

 

“Kay.” Tasha picked up her puppy and once Clint placed the doll back in her arms headed back out to the living room.

 

Sighing softly, Clint got up and added the pasta to the water before glancing at the time hoping Phil would be back soon as they had quite a bit to talk about.

* * *

 

It was just shy of ten when Phil finally arrived at their quarters. He successfully managed to unlock the door while balancing everything in his arms only to drop everything the moment he stepped into the room. “Shit.” Phil quickly scrabbled to grab the paperwork that had fallen out of brief case before the cold coffee from the now open thermos got to it.

 

 

 “Rough day babe?”

 

Phil sat back on his heels and looked up at his husband who was leaning again the living room doorway in nothing but his boxers. “Just the opposite actually but still it was a rather long day.” Phil replied before setting the papers back in the briefcase and stepping over the mess to pull Clint in for a kiss.

 

“Well.” Clint paused to catch his breath. “I’m just glad your home.”

 

“So am I and you won’t believe this Clint, but we found him.”

 

Clint raised an eyebrow at the sound of Phil’s voice going almost fan girl high. “Found who… no, you’re not saying… that’s impossible.” There was only one man, after yours truly of course, who could make Phil act like a complete fool.

 

“I said the same thing when the Director called me but then I talked to one of the men in charge of the expedition and he confirmed details of the ship that SHEILD never released. But here is the best part, Captain America is still alive. He’s in a hibernation like state and it’s a fifty-fifty chance of him waking up but the possibility is there and having Steve Rogers wake up would change so many things.”

 

“The initiative being the biggest one.” Clint added as he knelt down to clean up the spilled coffee. “And seeing as the initiative is your baby I’m assuming you’ll be leaving fairly quickly then.”

 

Phil nodded as he closed his briefcase and set it aside before following Clint into their bedroom. “Someone needs to be in charge of the extraction team and escort Captain Rogers to New York where we plan on setting up a recovery room. This assignment is too big to just send anyone and I should only be gone for a few weeks but it all depends on if Captain Rogers wakes up or not.”

 

“Just promise me that regardless to how long this assignment takes that you at least make sure you’re here for Tasha’s second birthday.” Clint said as he settled himself in bed.

 

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss her birthday for anything. Nothing is more important to me then my family.” Phil replied as he started undressing.

 

“So how much longer do we have you for?”

 

“The Director wanted me to leave first thing in the morning but I requested a later flight seeing as this will be the first time I’ll be apart from you and Tasha for this length of time since she was born.” Phil said as he finished hanging up his suit before getting into bed next to Clint. “I haven’t even left yet and I already miss you both.”

 

“We will miss you too. It will be weird not having the three of us together.” Clint replied as he laid his head on Phil’s chest. “Phil, before you go there is something I want to talk to you about and it’s something that I’ve put off for too long and you told me that when the time was right we would talk about making a decision on whether or not we would have any more children.”

 

“Clint.” Phil murmured as he wrapped his arm around the other man.

 

“Before you proposed to me the first time we discussed the fact that our daughter shouldn’t be an only child and I know that having more children is still something you want even after...”

 

“This is a decision we need to make together and if you if you don’t want to try again we can always go the adoption route but yes having more children of our own is still something I want.”

 

“Good because I want to have another baby.” Seconds after the words left his mouth, Clint found himself flat on his back with Phil’s body pinning his down.

 

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Phil smiled before leaning down and covering Clint’s lips with his own.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to all you lovely people following this story and a special thanks to those who have left a comment on the last chapter, I really appreciate it!
> 
> This chapter I had actually planned to have up much sooner as I wrote 90% of it the day I last updated but trying to end this chapter was a bit of a pain and finally I just decided to leave it like I did as this chapter was just setting the stage for the next one which brings us to the events from the Avengers movie. So I apologize in advance if the next chapter takes awhile as in all honesty I'm not sure what direction I want to take or how close I will follow the events from the movie.


	55. Chapter 55

Clint wiped his mouth with the back of his right hand as the other reached up to flush the toilet. “Fuck.” He muttered softly as he stood up and headed back into the living room. After spending the last few days dealing with a very sick little girl it appeared that he had caught the same stomach bug she was just getting over. Clint paused at the living room entrance as his stomach rolled once more. With any luck he would be feeling better before he had to report for his shift.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Clint fought back the squeal as he jumped back in shock. “Jesus Phil, don’t sneak up on me like that.” Clint gasped out as he leaned back against the wall to catch his breath.

 

“Sorry I called out but I guess you didn’t hear me.” Phil replied as he pulled Clint into his arms.

 

“I was in the bathroom.” Clint replied as he leaned into Phil. “I caught our baby girl’s stomach flu I’m afraid.”

 

Phil frowned as he placed the back of his hand against Clint’s forehead. “You do feel a bit feverish, maybe you should get into bed and get some rest.”

 

“I’m not feverish, I have the thermostat cracked up because Tasha was cold.” Clint replied as he pulled Phil’s hand off his forehead. “Besides I don’t have time to rest I have to report for my shift in an hour and I haven’t seen you since Tasha’s birthday and I’ve missed you.”

 

“Not as much as I’ve missed you but I really don’t think you should be working if you have a stomach flu.” Phil said this knowing his husband’s stubbornness would have Clint reporting to his shift regardless.

 

Clint started to respond when his phone began to ring. Pulling it out of his pocket he groaned when he glanced at the call display. “It’s Selvig.” Clint told Phil before answering his phone. “Barton. Okay slow down Doc, what are you trying to tell me? That’s impossible, are you trying to tell me no one was in the room? Are you sure? Okay you need to talk to Agent Coulson. No it’s okay, he’s right here just hang on a sec.” Clint handed the phone over to Phil before heading into their bedroom. Grabbing his gun he checked it before putting it in the holster and strapping the holster to his leg. Clint was just slipping on his fingerless gloves when Phil walked into the room.

 

“I’ve called Directory Fury, he and Deputy Hill are already in route.” Phil said as he walked to the gun cabinet.

 

“Phil if the energy levels of the Tesseract continue rising it could spell trouble for this entire base.” Clint said as he slipped on his jacket. “We should start an emergency evac right away.”

 

“I agree, that’s why I’ve ordered for the helicopter that brought me here to take you and Tasha back to New York right away.” Phil said as he reloaded both his guns. “The sooner your both out of here the better I will feel.”

 

“Phil, I’m not leaving you here to deal with this situation alone. We can get Jess to take Tasha back to New York and then Eric can look after her until we both return.” Clint replied as they made their way to Tasha’s room.

 

“Clint.” Phil stopped and turned, placing his hands on Clint’s face. “If this goes down the way I think it will the best place for you is to be with our daughter in New York, where I know you’ll both be safe.”

 

“Phil.” Clint started to protest when his phone started ringing.

 

Phil digs out Clint’s phone from his pocket. “Coulson. I understand, I’ll be down there in a few minutes Doctor.” Phil frowned as he hung up and pocketed the phone again. “Damn it the energy level is rising too fast. You and Tasha need to get out of here now.”

 

“Phil...”

 

“I love you.” Phil pulled Clint in and just held him. “I don’t want to wake Tasha up so tell her how much I love her when she does.”

 

Clint frowned as he glanced up at Phil, not liking what he was hearing in the other man’s voice but now wasn’t the time to discuss this. “Don’t worry I’ll tell her and Phil I love you too.”

 

“I need to go before Selvig calls again.” Phil murmured before kissing Clint deeply.

 

Clint returned the kiss with equal passion and hoping that this wasn’t a kiss goodbye and that later he would be able to tell Phil he was sorry that he didn’t listen to him that he hadn’t gone with their daughter to safety. Fury’s orders had been clear, to keep an eye on the Tesseract and on the scientists studying it. It wasn’t until he heard the sound of the front door closing that Clint opened his eyes again. He stared down the empty hallway for a moment before turning and entering Tasha’s room. He quickly gathered a few necessities and the few favorite toys he knew Tasha couldn’t live without before turning to wake Tasha up. “Hey baby girl, you have to wake up.” Clint couldn’t help but smile as his daughter slowly opened up her eyes and frowned up at him. “Just like your Daddy, don’t like being woken up for anything.”

 

“Daddy?” Tasha asked, as she rubbed her eyes.

 

“You’ll see Daddy soon sweetie, but first Jess is going to take you to go see Uncle Eric and you’re going to spend a few days with him and then Daddy and I will come get you.” Clint told her as he quickly put a warm jacket on over her sleeper. “Okay you’re all zipped up and good to go. Time to go see Jess and let her know what’s going on.”

 

* * *

 

“I gave you this job so you could keep a close eye on things.” Fury stated as they made their way towards the Tesseract.

 

“You know I see better from a distance.” Clint replied as he kept in step with the Director.

 

“Have you seen anything that could have set this thing off?”

 

“Nobody has come or gone and Selvig’s clean. No contacts, no IMs. Sir, if there was any tampering, it wasn’t from our end.” Clint reported as he crossed his arms.

 

“At our end?”

 

“Well, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? Doors open from both sides.” Clint shrugged just as the Tesseract began to surge.

 

“Shit.” Fury muttered as the Tesseract began to glow and suddenly a surge of energy came flying out towards the back of the room. Lifting his hand Fury shield his eye from the brightness and didn’t pull it down until the light faded. Seeing a man standing on the platform in front of them didn’t surprise him as much as it should. “Sir, please put down the spear.” Fury ordered as the security team moved in.

 

Clint watched as the strange man glanced down at the weapon in his hand before pointing it in their direction. “Here we go.” Clint muttered before pushing the Director out of the way as a surge of energy came flying out of the spear. Quickly rolling onto his feet, Clint grabbed his gun and begin firing on the intruder. Stopping only to get out of harm’s way as once again a surge of energy from the weapon came his way. Soon after that the room became quiet which was never a good sign. Clint struggled to get up and hearing the sound of someone approach him quickly went to raise his gun but an arm on his wrist stopped him from doing anything.

 

“We meet again.”

 

Clint frowned as he looked up at the intruder, trying and failing to recognize the other man. “I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

 

The intruder’s lips twisted in a quick smile. “You have heart Barton and I was right I do have use for you.”

 

Clint’s entire body froze as the spear touched his chest. As a coldness swept through him he could feel his will power being forced to the back of his mind and his last thought before his world was shaded in a cold blue was that of his husband and daughter and the last thing he felt was the fear that he would never see them again.

 

* * *

  

Phil watched in horror as the ground gave way behind the truck and for a brief moment feared they wouldn’t be able to outrun this but suddenly it was over and the truck slowed to a stop. Phil wasted no time pulling out his radio. “Director? Director Fury, do you copy?”

 

“I copy.” Director Fury paused. “The Tesseract is with a hostile force and I have men down. Hill?”

 

“We have several men still under and I don’t know how many survivors.” Hill replied quickly before adding. “Director, did the hostile force escape with our men?”

 

“I’m afraid so.” Fury replied before quickly issuing an order. “Sound a general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase.”

 

“Roger that.” Hill replied.

 

“Sir what are your coordinates, I’ll have the truck come pick you up.” Phil quickly order the driver to head in that direction the moment Fury responded. “Sir, what are your orders?” Phil asked as he got out of the truck and stepped next to the other man.

 

“We need to get back to base. This is a level seven, as of right now we are at war.” Fury turned to face the other man. “Phil, I need to talk to you. It’s about Clint.”

 

“I know you ordered him to keep watch over the Tesseract but I ordered him to take Tasha back to New York so that’s why he wasn’t at the facility.”

 

“Phil.”

 

Phil’s fists tightened as he turned to look towards the crater. “I should have known he’d never listen to me on this. Where is he Nick? Is he dead?”

 

Fury quickly placed his hand on Phil’s shoulder and squeezed it. “No Phil, Clint got out alive but I’m afraid he didn’t leave on his own will power. The hostile force was an Asgardian by the name of Loki he came through a portal via the Tesseract carrying this spear which I believe is powered by the Tesseract. He used this spear on Clint and Dr. Selvig and is now controlling them somehow.”

 

“So what you’re telling me is that my husband has been compromised and taken by a God from another world along with a powerful weapon and the one scientist who can most likely get this weapon operational for said God and we have no idea where they are. Right.” Phil nodded. “There is always GPS Tracking, I’ll just call Jasper back at base and get him to triangulate Clint’s…” Phil trailed off as he glanced down at the phone in his hand.

 

At Phil’s pause, Fury glanced down at the other man’s hand and quickly recognized the archer’s phone. “Don’t worry Phil, our people will do everything they can to find Clint and bring him home safely to you and your daughter. But right now I need your head in the game. Do you understand me Phil?”

 

“Of course Director.” Phil glanced up and gave the other man a tightened smile. “What do we do now Sir?”

 

“I think it’s time to bring the team together, we’re going to need them in order to win.” Fury respond as a helicopter began it’s decent. “Call Agent Romanoff first, tell her it’s time to bring the big guy in. We’re going to need the Doctor’s help in order to find our people. I’ll talk to Rogers and I’ll leave Stark in your capable hands.”

 

“Certainty Sir.” Phil replied as he bit back the sigh. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to get his husband back safely and that included dealing with Stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again to all who read the last chapter and an extra thanks to those of you for your kind comments! Sorry for the slight delay in getting this chapter posted! I just couldn't make up my mind on how much of The Avengers movie story line I wanted to follow so to help with that I decided to watch the movie and from that a new story idea was sparked by something Phil said but that's for after this one is all said and done! So thanks once again for following this story and I've got the next chapter started and everything all lined up so hopefully it won't be another month for the next update!


	56. Chapter 56

Jasper paced along the main deck of the Helicarrier, checking his watch every few seconds as he waited for the helicopter that was due to land any minute. When he finally heard the sound of the incoming bird he quickly moved off to the side and waited until the doors opened before moving forward. He gave a quick nod to the Director as they passed each other before moving to Phil’s side and falling into step with his friend as they made their way inside towards the bridge.

 

“Was the tech team able to get the image they required off the security tapes?” Phil asked as the pair made their way down the narrow hallway.

 

“It took longer than we would have liked it to but we managed to get several clear imagines and as we speak the team is doing a worldwide facial recognition sweep. We are also scanning for Clint’s and Dr. Selvig’s faces to hopefully increase our odds of finding them faster.” Jasper gave Phil’s shoulder a quick squeeze as they stopped at the bridge entrance. “Don’t worry Phil, we will get him home to you and your daughter safe and sound.”

 

“Thank you Jasper.” Phil replied. “Tasha, is she with Eric?”

 

“Yes, I dropped them off at your place just under an hour ago.” Jasper replied as they made their way to the computer station Jasper was working at. “She didn’t stir at all and last I heard she was still asleep.”

 

“That’s good.” Phil nodded as he studied the monitors. “Can you let Eric know that I’ll be stopping by the apartment shortly? I want to change my suit before I go talk to Stark.”

 

“Of course and that actually reminds me…” Jasper paused as reached into his pocket. “I found your phone in the helicopter, it’s all charged up for you.”

 

“Thanks, I wonder where this had gotten to.” Phil stared at his phone for a moment before grabbing it. “Do you have a number where I can reach Natasha and a location if at all possible?”

 

Nodding, Jasper sat down in his chair and typed a few commands into the computer. “Here’s a number you can reach her at and she is located at 1-14 Silensky Plaza, third floor I believe.”

 

“You believe?”

 

“She’s there, I’m sure.”

 

“Is there an F-22 around that area?”

 

“There is now.” Jasper replied as he put the order through.

 

“Thank you.” Phil cleared his throat before dialing the number.

 

While Phil was waiting to talk to Natasha, Jasper pulled out his phone and called Eric.

 

“Jasper please tell me you're calling to say you found him.”

 

“We haven’t yet but Phil and the Director just arrived and it looks like Fury is getting the team together so I know that we will have Clint back with us in no time.”

 

“I just wished there was something more I could do.”

 

“You’re looking after the most important person in Clint and Phil’s life babe, trust me when I say that is top priority in both their minds.” Jasper assured Eric as he glanced back over at Phil. “I was calling to let you know that Phil is going to be heading to the apartment once he’s off the phone with Natasha.”

 

“I make sure the door is unlocked for him.”

 

“Maybe put on a pot of coffee and force him to drink at least one cup. I don’t think Phil has gotten a wink of sleep in a few days and I know short of drugging him he won’t be getting any sleep now.”

 

“I’m on it. Jasper, stay safe out there okay?”

 

“Don’t worry I will.”

 

“I love you.”

 

“Love you too.” Jasper replied before hanging up his phone and turning to face Phil. “We all set?”

 

“Yes, Natasha is on her way to collect Dr. Banner.”

 

“Should I have a team sent in as back up?”

 

“Unnecessary but send them in anyway just to be on the safe side.”

 

“Will do.” Jasper nodded. “Also just got a confirmation that Stark is here in New York, do you need the address of his location?”

 

“No, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble located Stark Tower from my apartment.” Phil replied as he studied the computer screens. “Nothing yet?”

 

“Not yet but the moment we get a hit I’ll let you know.”

 

“Thank you Jasper.” Phil said softly before turning and leaving the bridge.

* * *

“Please, give yourself some credit. Stark Tower is after all your baby. So at least give yourself 12% of the credit.”

 

“12%?” Pepper replied as she raised her eyebrows.

 

“Well, I guess an argument can be made for 15.”

 

“12%, my baby?” Pepper said as she pulled away from Tony.

 

“Well, I did do all the heavy lifting.” Tony replied as he followed Pepper across the room. “Literally, I lifted the heavy things. And, sorry, but the security snafu? That was on you.”

 

“Uh, huh.” Pepper said as she grabbed the glasses and a bottle of champagne.

 

“My private elevator…”

 

“You mean our elevator?” Pepper asked as she poured the champagne.

 

“It was teeming with sweaty workmen.” Tony stopped with a sigh. “I’m going to pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way later, aren’t I?”

 

“It’s not going to be that subtle.” Pepper replied as she passed Tony his glass.

 

“I’ll tell you what, the next building is going to say Potts on the tower.”

 

“On the lease.”

 

“Sir, the telephone.” Jarvis spoke up. “I’m afraid my protocols are being overridden.”

 

“Mr. Stark, we really need to talk.”

 

Tony let out a small groan as he picked up his phone. “You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark. Please leave a message.”

 

“This is urgent.”

 

“Then leave it urgently.” Tony replied as the elevator door opened. “Security breach!”

 

“Mr. Stark.” Phil simply stated as he put his phone away.

 

“Phil!” Pepper smiled, happy to see the other man. “Please, come in.”

 

“Phil?” Tony stated as he got up to follow Pepper.

 

“I can’t stay.” Phil said as he walked off the elevator.

 

“His first name is Agent.” Tony frowned as he realized he was being ignored by the other two.

 

“We’re celebrating.” Pepper said as she stopped before Phil.

 

“Which is why he can’t stay.” Tony pointed out.

 

“I need you to look this over as soon as possible.” Phil said as he went to hand the computer to Tony.

 

“I don’t like being handed things.”

 

“That’s fine, because I love to be handed things. So let’s trade.” Pepper passed Phil her glass as she took the computer from him then plucked Tony’s glass from his hand and replacing it with the computer. “Thank you.”

 

“Official consulting hours are between eight and five, every other Thursday.” Tony tried pointing out.

 

“This isn’t a consultation.” Phil replied.

 

“Is this about the Avengers? Which I know nothing about.” Pepper added as Phil glanced at her.

 

“The Avengers Initiative was scrapped, I thought.” Tony stated as he turned away. “And I didn’t even qualify.”

 

“I didn’t know that either.”

 

“Apparently I’m volatile, self-obsessed, don’t play well with others.”

 

“That I did know.”

 

“This isn’t about personality profiles anymore.” Phil stated.

 

“Whatever, Ms. Potts, got a second?”

 

“Half a moment.” Pepper smiled at Phil before heading over to Tony.

 

“You know, I thought we were having a moment.”

 

“I was having 12% of a moment. This seems serious and Phil’s pretty shaken.” Pepper said as she glanced back at Phil.

 

“How would you know if it’s… why is he Phil?”

 

“What is all this?” Pepper asked, deciding to ignore Tony’s question.

 

“This is… this.” Tony typed in commands before sending the virtual display out in front of them.

 

“I’m going to take the jet to DC tonight.” Pepper said after giving the digital files before them a quick glance.

 

“Go tomorrow.”

 

“No, you have homework. You have a lot of homework.”

 

“Well, what if I didn’t?”

 

“If you didn’t?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You mean when you’ve finished? Well, um, then…” Pepper leaned forward a softly whispered what they would be doing in Tony’s ear.

 

“Square deal, fly safe.”

 

Smiling, Pepper leaned forward and kissed Tony. “Work hard.” Pepper said as she turned away and headed towards Phil. “So, any chance you’re driving by LaGuardia?”

 

Phil nodded as he replied “I can drop you off.”

 

“That would be great.” Pepper smiled, as she took the glass from Phil and set it to the side. “So tell me how is Cl… the cellist?”

 

Phil frowned in confusion as he glanced over at Pepper but at her nod towards Tony he quickly replied. “I’m afraid thing’s aren’t very good right now.”

 

“What? Boo.” Pepper replied as they got onto the elevator. “Jarvis please engage my privacy settings and don’t disengage them until I say otherwise.”

 

“Certainly Ms. Potts.” Jarvis replied. “Privacy setting have been engaged.”

 

“Thank you Jarvis.” Pepper replied before turning to face Phil. “What’s going on Phil?”

 

“One of our bases was attacked and destroyed earlier tonight, we have countless personnel missing, injured or dead. The hostile force that was responsible for the attack stole a very powerful weapon and also managed to take over the minds of a couple of our men. We have no idea where they are and at the moment we have no way to track them.” Phil paused for a moment before continuing. “One is a doctor, a brilliant man and he is one of the very few people in this world that understands how this weapon works and the other… the other man is Clint.”

 

“Oh no, Phil.” Pepper wasted no time pulling the man into her arms.

 

“Our best people are searching for them and…” Phil broke off with a chocked sob, the emotions of the day were finally hitting him.

 

“It’s okay Phil. Everything is going to be okay. They are going to find Clint and bring him home to you and Tasha, safe and sound.” Pepper tightened her hold on Phil and fought to keep her tears back as she tried to comfort her friend.

 

After a few minutes, Phil pulled back and quickly collected himself. “Thank you.”

 

“It’s okay, you needed to let it out.” Pepper gave his arm a quick squeeze as the elevator came to a stop. “If there is anything you need, anything at all just let me know.”

 

“I will and thanks again Pepper.” Phil replied as his phone began to ring. “Coulson.”

 

“Agent Coulson, if your still in New York there is someone I need you to pick up and bring aboard the Helicarrier.”

 

“Of course Director.” Phil replied as he led Pepper to his car.

 

“Excellent, I’ll have Agent Sitwell forward you the address. I’ll see you both in a few hours.”

 

“Sir, who…” Phil frowned as he pulled the phone away to look at it.

 

“Did your call drop out?”

 

“No, he hung up on me.” Phil answered as he glanced at the address. “We have to make a quick stop and pick someone up if that’s okay with you.”

 

“Of course.” Pepper replied as they slid into Phil’s car. “Who are we picking up?”

 

“I have no idea. Director Fury doesn’t like to give full details if it’s no benefit to himself.” Phil replied as he pulled away from the curb and headed towards the address he’d been given.

* * *

Loki paused at the chamber’s entrance and glanced about the room until he spotted the man he was looking for. “Clinton.” He called out, continuing when he had the other man’s attention. “Please come with me I need to have a word with you.” Loki turned and headed towards the area he had set aside as his personal chamber, knowing the other man had no choice but to follow him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off a huge thank you to all those following this story and of course an even bigger thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter! I really appreciate all of your kind words! So I can only take credit for about 90-95% of this chapter as I did borrow some dialogue from the Avengers movie. So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and hopefully it won't be too long before I update again! I have to say I've never struggled with writing a character like I am with Loki! But I think we've finally come to an understanding he and I!


	57. Chapter 57

“Shut and lock the door behind you and then hand cuff yourself to be headboard.” Loki ordered with a slight gesture to the bed he had set up for himself. It wasn’t until he heard the sound of his finally command being carried out that Loki turned and approached the archer. Reaching down, Loki pulled out the weapon located on the other man and set it aside. “While you have followed every order I have given and answered what inquiries I’ve made thus far there are still some questions I have that are in need of answers. Answers I would rather get straight from you and not due to the power of the Tesseract. So I will release you from its hold so we may have this brief conversation and if you try anything I will not hesitate to end your life. Understood?” Receiving a nod from the archer, Loki drew back the power of the Tesseract and sat back to wait.

 

* * *

 

 

Phil wanted to mentally and figuratively slap himself. When Clint heard what a fool Phil had made of himself in front of Captain America there was no way the other man would not tease him about it but at this moment Phil would gladly welcome the teasing because that would mean Clint was safe and with him.

 

“Is everything okay Agent Coulson?”

 

Phil glanced over at the other man and offered a quick smile. “Certainty Captain, just deep in thought.” Phil replied, before slipping his sunglasses on as they landed on the deck of the Helicarrier. “Stow the Captain’s gear.” Phil as they were leaving the jet. Seeing Natasha standing there he made quick work of the introductions. “Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers.”

 

“Ma’am.”

 

“Hi.” Natasha nodded before turning to face Phil. “They need you on the bridge but I want to talk to you first.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“I’ll just be over here.” Steve nodded his head before making his way across the deck to where Dr. Banner stood, looking equally as lost.

 

“I take it there is still no word.”

 

“None but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You and I both know that he’s still alive and hopefully safe.” Natasha laid a hand on Phil’s arm. “Loki wouldn’t have taken Clint or Dr. Selvig if he didn’t need them. You and I both know that there are very few people who can hide from SHIELD if they want to.”

 

“Yes, I know and right now I’m regretting the fact that Clint is one of those people.” Phil frowned as he thought it over. “How would Loki even know to grab Clint or Dr. Selvig? Do you think he just got lucky and grabbed the right two people or is it more than that?”

 

“Well Loki is the brother to the one who crashed landed in New Mexico, so maybe he learned what he needed from Thor.”

 

“From what I’ve gathered with talking to Dr. Selvig, things between Thor and Loki weren’t all that great at the time Thor was sent to earth and the fact alone that Loki tried to kill Thor says enough of its self but Thor learned nothing about SHIELD while he was here and he didn’t even meet Clint so how would Loki know anything?”

 

“Phil.” Natasha said gently as she squeezed his arm. “You’ll drive yourself crazy trying to think of all they whys and how’s. Once we’ve captured Loki we will get all the answers we need.”

 

“You’re right.” Phil sighed. “They need me on the bridge?”

 

“Yes, they’re starting the face-trace.”

 

“Okay, I’ll see you there.” Phil nodded over his shoulder. “Also bring Rogers and Banner with you.”

 

“Of course.” A smile finally crossed Natasha’s face. “So how was it meeting your idol and childhood hero? I hope you didn’t say anything too embarrassing about watching him while he was sleeping.”

 

“Don’t be silly of course not.” Phil replied, the blush on his face quickly giving him away.

 

Natasha just chuckled and tossed a careless wave over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in a bit Coulson.”

 

* * *

 

Oh Clint understood perfectly and if he could do something about his current situation he wouldn’t hesitate to act but unfortunately the only thing he could do while handcuffed to the bed is glare at the other man in the room and try to not flinch every time the other man approached the bed.

 

“Do try and relax archer. You have some information I require and I don’t intend on beating it out of you.”

 

“That surprises me as you seem more like the type to do whatever it takes to get what they want so what’s stopping you?”

 

“Your right, normally I would do whatever it takes, but in this case.” Loki paused as he glanced down at Clint. “In this case since you are with child I figured we’d go about this a different way.”

 

“I’m pregnant?” The words slipped past Clint’s lips without meaning to and though he could see that Loki was talking again he couldn’t hear a word the other man was saying. Clint was honestly shocked to hear he was pregnant again and he knew that other man wasn’t lying about it. The fact was the last time he and Phil had been intimate had been almost two months ago before Phil had left to deal with Captain America and minus catching Tasha’s... Clint sighed and would have smacked himself if he could but thankfully he had an angry god to do that for him.

 

“Please try and pay attention when I’m speaking to you.”

 

“Sorry, I tend to tune out crazy but please continue. I’m sure whatever it is you're saying is of great importance.”

 

“Watch how you speak to me.” Loki replied sharply, his grip on the scepter tightened.

 

Clint couldn’t help but flinch this time and press himself further into the headboard. It was one thing to piss the God of when it was just himself but knowing that the life of his unborn child was also in jeopardy had Clint giving the other man his full attention. “Before you continue, can I ask you something?”

 

“You may ask whatever you want but I won’t guarantee I’ll answer.”

 

“Fair enough.” Clint paused as he tried to think of the best way to word his question before deciding it was best to keep it simple. “Why me? Out of all the agents at that base why did you take me?”

 

“I needed someone who could give me the layout of all of SHIELDs operations and agents. I also needed someone to gather a team together and so far you’ve provided me with the second and soon you will give me the information I require and don’t try telling me you don’t know anything because we both know that isn’t the case.”

 

“Regardless of what I do or don’t know, what makes you think I will tell you anything?”

 

Loki smirked at the other man as he slid onto the bed. “You will tell me everything I wish to know one way or another. The choice is up to you.”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“Its simple really, you tell me what I wish to know on your own free will and not only will I keep your mind clear from the power of the Tesseract but I will also personally guarantee the safety of you and your family.” Loki then brought the scepter up to Clint’s chest. “Or I will use this once more and get the answers I seek.”

 

“New Mexico.” Clint blurted out quickly.

 

“I beg your pardon.”

 

“Earlier at the base you indicated that we had met before but I didn’t have any recollection of ever meeting you before and it just came to me. In New Mexico, shortly after your brother was brought into SHIELD custody I was with my daughter.” Clint paused as the night came rushing back. “She woke up screaming from what I thought was a nightmare and that brought me to her room but the funny thing is I don’t even remember running into her room and the gun that I know without a doubt was in my side holster disappeared completely and I never did find it again. I assume that was you, I’m going to also assume that’s why you decided to grab me out of all the other agents.”

 

“You assume correctly.” Loki frowned as he wondered where the archer was going with this.

 

“So basically it doesn’t matter what I do, even without that scepter your powerful enough to make me tell you whatever it is you wish to know. Which makes me wonder why your even using it?” Clint muttered the last part to himself.

 

“That’s enough, now tell me which option you choose.” Loki growled out.

 

“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to keep those I love safe.” Clint let out a deep breath and looked Loki right in the eyes. “But I refuse to tell you anything.”

 

“So be it.” Loki replied and as the cold blue of the Tesseract filled the other man’s eyes he paused for a moment before reaching forward and placing one hand on the other man he quickly muttered a few words before pulling back and getting off the bed. Stopping at the edge of the room he started his questioning and got what information he was able to until he was called away.

 

* * *

 

“I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.” Phil rocked back on his heels as he glanced over at the other man.

 

“Oh, no Its fine.” Steve replied, blushing a bit.

 

“It’s a vintage set. It took me a couple of years to collect them all. Near mint. Slight foxing around the edges. Actually I do have one signed card, one from the collection that survived the fire in the warehouse in Pittsburgh. I obtained a few years back, it was a Christmas gift. But…”

 

“We got a hit on Loki. At least a 67% match.” Jasper called out as he turned to face Phil. “Wait, here’s a cross match. Sighting confirmed at 79%”

 

“Where?” Phil asked as he rushed to the other man’s side.

 

“Stuttgart, Germany.” Jasper replied as he zoomed into the location. “He’s at 28 Konigstrasse.”

 

“He’s not exactly hiding.” Steve frowned as he glanced at the monitors over Jasper’s other shoulder.

 

“Captain.” Fury called out. “Your up.”

 

“Jasper?” Phil asked as he continued to study the monitor’s.

 

“I’m searching for him but so far nothing. If Clint’s in Germany with Loki he’s doing a good job at avoiding the cameras.”

 

Phil frowned as he watched Loki smile at the camera before moving towards the building he was outside of. “It’s almost like he wants us to find him. Do we have any idea what is located in this area?”

 

“I’ll try and find out.” Jasper replied as he pulled up a new screen.

 

“Thank you.” Phil said before moving to Fury’s side and watching as the jet heading to Germany flew past the bridge.

 

“If there is anyone who can bring that bastard in its Rogers and once we have Loki we will find out where Clint is.” Fury reassured his friend.

 

“I know, it’s just hard not being able to go there and bring the bastard in myself.” Phil replied before turning to speak to Jasper. “I’m going to go into my office and call Eric to check on Tasha. Once you have the list of places nearest Loki’s location please email it to me and I’ll try and see if I can figure out what he is up to. If you get anything on Clint, please just call me.”

 

“Of course.” Jasper nodded, sharing a quick look with the director before turning back to his computer.

 

As he walked away, Phil slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wedding ring. Clint and Phil only wore their rings when they were off duty, which lately wasn’t often. Knowing he shouldn’t but needing something that connected him to Clint, Phil slipped the ring on his finger as he stepped into the elevator. Selecting the floor he wanted, Phil leaned back against the elevator wall and for the first time since Budapest he prayed for the safe return of his husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone following this story and also to those who commented on the last chapter! So once again Loki is proving to be one of the hardest characters I've ever written but I think its due to the fact that I don't want him to be the bad guy like he was in the movie but for Loki in this story it could end either way I'm afraid. So thanks once again and I'm working hard on the chapter and should have something for you in a few weeks! *fingers crossed*


	58. Chapter 58

“Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you.” Bruce broke in hoping to ease the growing tension between Steve and Tony.

 

“Just find the cube.” Steve ordered as he rushed out of the room before he could say anything he would regret. Tony Stark was nothing like his father and Steve was ashamed to admit that Stark had gotten under his skin easier than Steve would have liked. But if there was a slight chance that Stark was right about Nick Fury and about SHIELD, well then, Steve needed to find out for himself. With a heavy sigh, he turned around and headed towards the direction of the storage containment area. Within minutes Steve was ready to admit that he had gotten himself turned around and this section of the ship was just a bunch of empty offices that he hadn’t come across when he had originally retrieved his shield and uniform. Steve was getting ready to turn around and make his back when the faint sound of singing had him continuing down the corridor. With any luck whoever was singing could point him in the right direction.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Startled, Steve quickly spun around only to realize that there was no one behind him.

 

“Hun, please tell me you’re not filming this. It’s two in the morning and I don’t even have a shirt on.”

 

“Don’t be silly, you look beautiful.”

 

Steve hadn’t recognized the first voice but he quickly recognized the second as the voice of Agent Coulson. Without even thinking, Steve walked into the office where the voices were coming from and then quickly came to a halt as he realized the voices were actually coming from a video being played on the computer.

 

“Rogers.” Phil paused the video as he turned to face the other man. “What are you doing down here?”

 

“I’m so sorry Sir, I shouldn’t have barged in like this. I got rather turned around I’m afraid and when I heard voices I figured someone would be able to point me in the right direction. But it was wrong of me not to knock and I do apologize and it won’t happen again, I just finished dealing with Stark and then getting lost…” Steve flushed as was quickly lost for words.

 

“I’ve dealt with Stark many times Captain so I completely understand where you are coming from. Don’t worry about it.”

 

Steve nodded as he took in the other man’s appearance. Agent Coulson looked like he hadn’t slept in a very long time and Steve recognized the familiar appearance of grief in the other man’s eyes. Without meaning to his eyes drifted past Coulson to the computer screen to study the paused imagine of a young man holding from what Steve could guess was a newborn.

 

“So Captain, where is it you were trying to get so I can point you in the right direction?” Phil asked as he shifted in his chair, blocking the computer screen with his body.

 

“Please Agent Coulson, its Steve when were not in the field.” Steve replied, his eyes drifting away from Phil to land on the photograph on the desk next to him.

 

“Of course Steve, as long as you call me Phil.” Phil replied, wincing at the giddy pitch his voice took when he said his long time childhood hero’s name. “Now…”

 

“Agent Barton.” Steve winced as the name loudly slipped past his lips. “The man in the video and the one in the photograph on your desk is Agent Barton. Is the little girl yours? And that’s really none of my business and I really should apologize once again for the intrusion and leave, I should defiantly leave.”

 

“Her name is Tasha and yes, she is our daughter.” Phil said softly as leaned back to grab the photograph. “I took this picture of Clint and Tasha on her second birthday. Just a few days before you woke up actually.”

 

Steve glanced down at the photograph and noticed for the first time that the other man was wearing a wedding ring. “Clint Barton is your husband.”

 

Phil tensed for a moment before replying. “Clint is my everything.”

 

“You have a beautiful family Phil.” Steve said softly as he came forward and put his hand on the other man’s shoulder. “I’ll do whatever is in my power to help bring your family back together again, I swear to you.”

 

“You’ve done so much already by bring Loki in but thank you.” Phil replied as he set the photograph back down as his phone rang. “Coulson. He’s on the bridge now? No, it’s okay I’ll come up and talk with him myself. He could have the answers we need. I’ll be up in ten, thanks Jasper.” Hanging up the phone, Phil quickly powered down his computer before turning to face Steve once again. “I have to go up to the bridge and talk with Thor, but I’ll get you where you need to go first.”

 

“That be great.” Steve smiled as they walked out of the office together.

 

Phil paused in the hallway as he shot Steve an amused smile. “You never did tell me where you were trying to go.”

 

“Oh, yes of course that would be helpful wouldn’t it?” Steve chuckled as he glanced down at his feet, quickly trying to come up with a fake destination. “Umm, I was actually trying to make my way back to the crew quarters. As comfortable as this uniform it I don’t want to wear it when I don’t need it.”

 

“Stark made fun of it I take it.” Phil responded as they made their way down the hallway.

 

“Well, no, I mean yes. But that’s not why I want to take it off.” Steve replied. “I’m proud of what this suit represents and I’m honored to wear it but I’m Captain America when I have it on and right now I want to be Steve Rogers.”

 

“Understandable.” Phil replied as he stopped and gestured to a flight of stairs. “The crew quarters are just up these stairs and as long as you remember your room number you shouldn’t get lost.”

 

“No, I should be good from here. Thank you Phil, I appreciate it.”

 

“It was no problem at all.” Phil nodded as he turned to leave.

“Phil wait, I hate to bother you any further but there is something I’m concerned about. Just in relation with Loki being on board and with the possibility of him getting out of the cell they have him in.”

 

“The only way Loki is getting out of that cell is if someone opens it for him, so you don’t have to worry about that. None of our people will let that happen, not while their still breathing at any rate.”

 

“That much I’m sure of, I’m just thinking of worst case and Loki does get free, would he be able to access any of the weapons SHEILD has stored on board?”

 

“No, our weapons, your shield include are safely secured in our weapons locker and there is no way Loki would be able to get access to that.” Phil shrugged. “I was also told that some of the weapons were put into the Secured Storage but that is in Section C which is on the other side of where Loki is currently located.”

 

“Why not keep them all in the same place?”

 

“Most likely those once aren’t ready to be tested yet, but I couldn’t really tell you. Contrary to popular belief I don’t know everything that goes on around here. Well, I should get going and stopping worrying Steve. If Loki does manage to escape I’m pretty sure the only weapon he will be interested in going after is the one we brought him in with.”

 

“Your right, I’m sure I’m just worrying over nothing.” Steve replied, before waving and turning to make his way up the stairs before pausing and going back down once he was sure Phil was gone. The guilt of having to lie to Phil, the first real friend that he had made was eating at Steve but the need to find the truth was stronger. With that thought in mind, Steve turned down the opposite hall that Phil had gone down and made his way to Section C.

 

* * *

 

“After Loki took Dr. Selvig we quickly moved Jane Foster. They have an amazing observatory in Tromso and she was asked to consult their rather suddenly yesterday. It’s very remote, she’ll be safe.”

 

“Thank you.” Thor nodded in gratitude. “It’s no accident, my brother taking Erik Selvig and I dread what he plans for him once he’s done.”

 

Phil couldn’t hide the look of fear as he glanced back at the monitor that showed the pictures of both Clint and Erik as the tracking system continued its worldwide search for both men. The same train of thought that Thor had just uttered had also been going through Phil’s mind but part of him felt better knowing that right now Loki couldn’t harm Clint but that didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t.

 

“Your man, Agent Barton. I hear he’s considered one your best in your realm and that there is not many who could match his accuracy also the other agents tell me he is one of the best strategist your agency has.”

 

“No one at SHIELD can even come close to Clint’s, Agent Barton’s, skill set when it comes to accuracy and I doubt anyone ever will. Clint can just see what others cannot, which is quite the gift.”

 

“A gift my brother is using ill for his own purposes and for that I would offer what apologizes I could on behalf of myself and my family but I know the words would mean nothing to you right now. But I am sorry for what my brother has done here and as much as I would like to put the blame on someone other than he, the blame lands solely on Loki.” Thor sighed as he turned to glance out at the darken sky. “They’re both good men and don’t deserve this fate.”

 

Phil nodded as he moved to stand behind Thor, arms crossed as he held a file to his chest. “He talks about you a lot, Dr. Selvig. He was always telling Clint and myself the stories of your time in Mexico when he was over for dinner. I’m afraid both Clint and Tasha got too much enjoyment from the parts where Darcy got you with the Taser.” At Thor’s puzzled look Phil continued. “Tasha is Clint and my daughter.”

 

“Ah, so Clint is your life mate then?”

 

“Yes.” Phil answered softly. Pushing the emotions he felt aside, Phil continued to speak. “You’re coming to earth changed Erik’s life, it changed everything around here.”

 

Understanding the need to move to a safer subject, Thor started to move closer to the glass. “They were better as they were. We pretend on Asgard that we’re more advanced, but we come here battling like Bilge Snipe.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Bilge Snipe.” Thor replied, as he gestured with his hands. “You know, huge, scaly, big antlers. You don’t have those?”

 

“Pretty sure we don’t.”

 

“Well, they are repulsive and they trample everything in their path.” Thor sighed as he crossed his arms. “When I was first sent to earth by my father, Loki’s rage followed me here and your people paid the price. And now, again. In my youth, I courted war.”

 

“War hasn’t started yet.” Fury started as he approached the two men, stopping just before the stairs. “You think you could make Loki tell us where he’s hidden the Tesseract?”

 

“I do not know, Loki’s mind is a far afield. It’s not just power he craves, it vengeance, upon me. There’s no pain that would prise his need from him.”

 

“A lot of guys think that, until the pain starts.” Fury stated as he started down the steps.

 

“What are you asking me to do?”

 

“I’m asking, what are you prepared to do?” Fury asked as he leaned forward.

 

“Loki is your prisoner.”

 

“Then why do I feel like he’s the only person on this boat that wants to be here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update as promised! Thanks once again to everyone following the story so far!


	59. Chapter 59

Rushing into the weapons locker, Phil quickly by passed all the usual guns he’s worked with in the past and went for the newest weapon that R&D had developed. Making his way out, Phil quickly headed towards the detention level pausing when the Helicarrier suddenly titled to one side. “What the hell?”

 

“Sir we’ve lost all power in engine one.” Jasper’s voice came clearly across the radio channel.

 

“It’s Barton. He took out our systems. He’s headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?”

 

Phil stood frozen in the hall at Fury’s announcement. Clint was here, he was on board the Helicarrier and he was actively trying to bring it down from the sky.

 

“This is Agent Romanoff. I copy.” Natasha’s voice came through the public channel before it filter into a private one. “Don’t worry Phil, I’ll keep him safe and make sure no one harms him. You just concentrate on keeping Loki from escaping.”

 

“Copy that.” Phil replied as he continued on to the dentation level. “Thank you Natasha, and if you can reach him, can you tell him I love him and that once I’m done what I have to do I’ll be there.”

 

“Of course. Romanoff out.”

 

Phil swore softly as he came across one of the SHIELD guards assigned to keep an eye on the detention level. One glance told him the man’s neck had been broken and no doubt all the other SHIELD guards had shared the same fate. Hearing Thor’s cry had Phil quickly moving once more, knowing that he was too late to stop Loki from being freed from his glass prison.

 

“Are you ever not going to fall for that?” The sound of glass cracking echoes through the room. “The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?”

 

Phil quickly knocked out the rouge guard before training the weapon on Loki and moving forward. “Move away please.” Seeing Loki eye the weapon his hands with speculation Phil continued to talk, still unsure what his next step was going to be. “You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer to Earth. I haven’t had a chance to see what it does yet. Do you want to find out?” Phil wasn’t expecting the sudden sharp pain in his chest, but he also wasn’t expecting Loki to disappear before his very eyes either. Another difference it seemed from going against a God from another world to a fellow human being. As the spear excited his body a cold numbness swept through Phil and sent him to the floor. He could vaguely hear Thor’s shouts as Loki swept past him but could do nothing to stop Loki from sending Thor and the glass prison he was trapped from plummeting down to the earth surface but he could try to slow Loki down. “You’re going to lose.”

 

“Am I?”

 

“It’s in your nature.”

 

“Hmm. Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress is falling from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?” Loki smirked as he looked down at the other man.

 

“You lack conviction.” Phil replied as he started to ease his finger down on the trigger of the weapon in his lap.

“I don’t think I’m…”

 

Phil watched as Loki went flying through the wall and crashed right through it. “So, that’s what it does.” Phil muttered as his eyes slid closed.

 

* * *

 

“Coulson, Coulson. God damn Phil open your fucking eyes.”

 

Phil slowly blinked his eyes open, gritting his teeth through the pain as he took in the blurry form of Fury crouched before him. “Sorry boss. The God rabbited.”

 

“That’s okay just stay awake Phil. Eyes on me you got it?”

 

Phil coughed and couldn’t help the moan of pain that followed but at the same time fear gripped him as he realized that the pain was slowly becoming less noticeable and the coldness was slowly working though his body and in that moment he knew. “I’m afraid I can’t, I’m clocking out here.”

 

“Not an option.” Fury growled as he took one of Phil’s hands and squeezed it. “We will have you up in medical and fixed up in no time.”

 

“Clint? Did Natasha catch up with him? Is he okay?” Phil fought to get the words out as his strength slowly started leaving him.

 

“Agent Romanoff delivered a solid blow to Barton’s head which she’s pretty sure did the trick as before he passed out Barton said her name. We won’t know more until he wakes up but he’s back where he belongs and we will do everything we can to help him.”

 

“He’s going to blame himself for all of this, whatever happens you and Natasha can’t let him try to pin the deaths of all these people on himself especially mine.”

 

“You can’t blame yourself for a death that hasn’t happened.” Fury told him as he glanced around for the medical team.

 

“It’s okay boss. This was never going to work if they didn’t have something to…” Phil trailed off as he realized this was it. “Tell Clint that I love him and that I’m sorry I’m leaving him and tell him that I’ll be watching over him and Tasha. I know he’ll tell her how much I loved her every day. I just wish, that I could see them and hold them…”

 

“You can tell them yourself when you’re all patched up.” Fury felt a huge relief as he finally saw the medical team rush into the room, but that relief was short lived as Phil’s hand went lax in his and he locked his eye on the other man’s unseeing ones.

 

* * *

 

Natasha rubbed her palms along her knees as she studied the monitor’s that showed Clint’s vitals. Even without having a medical degree she could tell that something was off but she just hoped that Clint would wake up soon and they would know more. Natasha went to move forward but paused as Director Fury’s voice came across the general con.

 

“Agent Coulson is down.”

 

“A medical team is on their way to your location.” Agent Sitwell announced.

 

“They’re here, they called it. He’s gone.”

 

Natasha tightened her fists as she sat back down, the grief hit her faster than she was expecting. Phil Coulson, dead, words she never thought she would have to think of together for many years to come. For the first time in her life, Natasha felt numb and part of her wished that Clint would stay out for a little while longer because she couldn’t find the words to tell her best friend that the love of his life was now dead and that Tasha had lost her Dad. Natasha closed her eyes and quickly got control over her emotions, if she didn’t, Clint would know right away that something was wrong. When Natasha finally opened her eyes again she was surprised to see Clint awake and straining against the restraints that held him to the bed by his wrists. “Clint.” Natasha said his name softly, not wanting to startle him. “You’re going to be all right.”

 

“You know that?” Clint chuckled as he strained against the bed trying to get back to himself. “Is that what you know? I’ve got no window. I have to flush him out.”

 

Getting up, Natasha walked over to the cart and poured Clint a glass of water. “You got to level out, it’s going to take time.”

 

“You don’t understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play?” Clint strained to look back and up at Natasha. “Pull you out and stuff something else in? Do you know what its like to be unmade?”

 

“You know that I do.” Natasha replied as she set the glass down.

 

“Why am I back? How’d you get him out?”

 

“Cognitive re-calibration.” Natasha replied as she moved to Clint’s side. “I hit you really hard on the head.”

 

“Thanks Natasha.” Clint pauses as Natasha undoes the restraints. “Nat, how many Agents did I…”

 

“Don’t.” Natasha replied sharply. “Don’t do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. Its monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for.”

 

“Loki, did he get away?”

 

“Yes, I don’t suppose you know where?” Natasha asked as she moved over towards the door and glanced out, wondering when Clint would ask the question she didn’t want to answer.

 

“Afraid not, I didn’t need to know so I didn’t ask.” Clint replied as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and reached over for the water. “He’s going to make his move soon, thought. Today.”

 

“We have to stop him.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Clint took a sip of water. “Who’s we?”

 

“I don’t know, whoever’s left I guess.” Natasha replied as she turned back around.

 

“Well, if I put an arrow through Loki’s eye socket, I’d sleep better I suppose.” Clint shrugged as he set the glass back down and studied Natasha as she moved towards him.

 

“Now you sound like you.” Natasha smiled faintly as she sat down.

 

“But you don’t. You’re a spy not a solider and now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?”

 

“He didn’t. I just…”

 

“Natasha.”

 

Natasha sighed as she recognized Clint’s ‘don’t bull shit me’ tone. “I’ve been compromised.” Natasha answered as she thought back to her earlier conversation with Loki. “I have red in my ledger. I’d like to wipe it out.”

 

Clint smiled and took Natasha’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “You know I’ll help you with that, in any way I possibly can.”

 

“Thank you.” Natasha leaned her head against Clint’s. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too.” Clint placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Now I take it that since you’re here and Phil isn’t that he’s hip deep in cleaning up my… I mean the mess Loki made.”

 

Natasha paused and god helped her she took what she was being offered and lied to her closest friend. “Yes, he’s busy doing what he does best but you know he sends his love and wishes he could be here with you.”

 

“I bet he isn’t too happy with me though. He told me to get on that helicopter with Tasha but I just couldn’t ignore those orders. I knew that Tasha would be safe with Eric and I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving Phil at that base without having me as his back up.” Clint sighed as he began patting down his pockets. “Did they take my cell phone off of me? I want to send a few quick texts. One to Eric and another to Phil to just quickly make sure…”

 

“We didn’t find a phone on you and I’m afraid mine got a little uh, destroyed.” Natasha replied. “But trust me, everything is okay. Why don’t you go into the bathroom and get a little cleaned up. You’ve been away for three days.”

 

“Away.” Clint chuckled as he got up and moved towards the attached bathroom. “That’s one way to put it.”

 

“Clint.” Natasha said softly, making him pause at the doorway. “Nobody is going to blame you for what happened these last few days. You were being controlled by a powerful magic and knowing you as I do, you would have fought against that magic every single moment. So don’t you for one second, start blaming yourself. Okay?”

 

“Okay.” Clint replied softly before slipping into the bathroom and locking the door behind himself. Clint leaned against the sink and studied himself in the mirror. Three days of his life had been stolen from him and minus that one clear moment of where he wasn’t being controlled, the memories of what had happened were lost in a blue haze and at the moment Clint welcomed the fact that he couldn’t remember what he had done. But what he could remember… Clint’s hands drifted down to his midsection. The fear of losing this baby was in the forefront of his mind but Clint had a job to do and a city to protect and a mess to clean up. He couldn’t let anything hold him back from doing that, even if it cost him his life. Clint sighed as he turned the water on to splash some in his face. He just wished he could see Phil and Tasha before he had to go. Grabbing the towel from the rack, Clint started drying off his hands and face when he detected an unfamiliar voice talking to Natasha. Hearing the other man ask Natasha if she could fly one of the jets had Clint stepping back into the main room and answering without hesitation.

 

* * *

 

Natasha glanced up as the door to the medical room opened and was surprised at who stood there. “Captain?”

 

“Its time to go.” Steve replied as he entered the room.

 

“Go where?” Natasha asked as she moved off the bed.

 

“I’ll let you know on the way there. Can you fly one of those jets?”

 

“I can.” Clint answered as he stepped out of the bathroom.

 

“You got a suit?” Steve asked as he laid his eyes on the man he heard so much about for the first time.

 

“Yeah.” Clint nodded as he set the towel down.

 

“Then suit up.” Steve offered a smile to the other man before looking back at Natasha. “Agent Romanoff, if I could have a private word with you.”

 

“Of course.” Natasha nodded before glancing over at Clint. “I’ll have someone bring your stuff to you, I wouldn’t want you to get lost in the Helicarrier and then have to come and find you.”

 

Clint just tossed her a smile to accompany the one finger salute he sent her way. “Thanks Nat, you’re the best.”

 

“Ass.” Natasha chuckled before walking past Steve and heading towards the weapon’s locker, knowing the man would follow her.

 

“I take it you never told him?” Steve asked as he fell into step with Natasha.

 

“Tell him what?”

 

“That his husband is dead.” Steve replied softly.

 

Natasha came to a quick halt and glanced up at Steve. “How’d you know about their relationship? Phil isn’t ashamed of their relationship but he also isn’t the type to go announcing it to just anybody.”

 

“I got lost while looking for something and stumbled across Phil in his office. He was watching an old video of Clint and their daughter and well… I quickly pieced the puzzle together.” Steve shrugged. “I made Phil a promise that I would do whatever I could to bring his family back together and I’ve already failed on that but I won’t let that little girl lose another parent. You think Clint will notice if I keep him out of the main area of fighting?”

 

“Long range is Clint’s speciality.” Natasha replied. “Just make sure you don’t tell him to be careful when you’re giving the orders and you should be good. And no, I haven’t told him.”

 

“But he asked about Phil?” Steve asked, and seeing the pain look that crossed her face he knew the answer. “He’ll forgive you for lying to him, eventually I’m sure. We need his help to stop Loki and in order to do that he’ll need his head clear.”

 

“Easier said than done after what Loki put him through.”

 

“His friends will help him.” Steve reached over and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I’m going to check on Stark and then I’ll meet you and Barton outside the main hanger.”

 

“Other way Captain.” Natasha chuckled as the man started heading down the wrong hallway.

 

“Right, I knew that.” Steve muttered as he turned and rushed past Natasha.

 

Taking a deep breath and pushing everything to that back of her mind Natasha turned and made her way to the weapon’s locker, making a mental check list of everything she had to grab for herself and Clint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks once again for your words of encouragement! Also due to life getting a bit crazy, the next chapter might not be out until end of Nov but I'll try my best to get it finished sooner.


	60. Chapter 60

Clint tried and failed to hide his wince of pain as he finally reached the lobby of the building he had crashed landed in. Flying through a glass window at the speed he had was painful but not half as painful as landing on his quiver, which hadn’t done his back any favors and he wasn’t looking forward to what it was going to feel or look like in the morning.

 

“Hey Legolas, over here.” Tony yelled out as he spotted the archer. “You doing okay? You’re walking kind of funny.”

 

“Clint are you badly hurt?” Natasha’s voice quickly barked out over the com.

 

“I’m fine mom. I just landed on my quiver funny when I went flying through a window.” Clint replied, rolling his eyes.

 

“Don’t roll your eyes at me.” Natasha snapped through the com. “All of you just hurry up and get your asses back to the tower.”

 

“Don’t ask.” Clint replied at the looks the other guys were giving him. “I can do shit in another state and she always figures it out.”

 

“Scary.” Tony muttered.

 

“You have no idea.” Clint smirked before turning to follow Steve to the tower.

 

“Hey big guy how about a lift back?” Tony asked as he turned to face the Hulk.

 

Hulk just snorted before grabbing Tony and tossing him up on his shoulder before turning to trail behind the others.

 

“I take it Thor went up ahead to make sure his brother didn’t go anywhere?” Clint asked as he realized the Demi-God wasn’t among them.

 

“Yes, I didn’t want to take any chances of him getting away.” Steve replied.

 

“Good call.” Tony called out. “So what do you think will happen to Loki now? Do we let SHIELD deal with him or will Thor be taking him and the Tesseract back to his people?”

 

“I’m not really sure that’s our call to make.” Steve answered as they arrived at the tower. “But personally, I’d rather have Loki as far away from earth as possible.”

 

Clint had mixed feelings on the subject but wasn’t about to voice it to two… well three men he really didn’t know all that well.

 

“Well if you ask me we shouldn’t let any of those assholes from SHIELD near this. No offense.” Tony added with a quick glance in Clint’s direction.

 

“None taken.” Clint replied honestly as they arrived at Stark tower.

 

“Thanks for the lift big guy, if you want you can just set me…” The rest of what Tony was going to say was lost as the Hulk suddenly jumped into the air and started making his way up the tower.

 

“I guess we will meet them up there.”

 

“I would have never guessed that Stark could scream in such a high pitch.” Clint remarked as he followed Steve into the building.

 

“It’s a memory I’ll cherish.” Steve grinned as they walked into the elevator.

 

* * *

 

By the time Steve and Clint reached the others, Loki was sitting up on the stairs trying to look both bored and not intimidate by the Hulk who was standing menacingly over him. He was succeeding at the first and failing badly at the second. Natasha was by the blown out windows, crouched by Dr. Selvig and both were watching the conversation going on before them between Thor and Tony.

 

Thor stood with his arms crossed against his chest and was both watching his brother while paying attention to Tony, who stood before him no longer in his suit. “Rest assured man of iron that my brother will be punished. My people will not let his actions go unpunished.”

 

“His attack wasn’t against your people but the people of earth and as one of those people I would like to know how you plan on punishing him.”

 

“My brother’s punishment isn’t for me to decide but that of our father’s. Not even I could tell you what his plan will be when I bring Loki and the Tesseract before him.”

 

“That’s another thing, what makes you think that SHIELD will even let you take Loki and the Tesseract?”

 

“They tried to contain me once and failed what makes you think they will try again?” Loki smirked, which quickly faded as the Hulk growled at him.

 

“Right now you should keep your mouth shut.” Tony said angrily as he turned to face Loki. “Your actions lead to the death of a great many people. One was a SHIELD agent that I had great respect for and quite honestly was the only one in that group that I could stand. Phil Coulson was a good man and he didn’t deserve to die, not like that.”

 

“Stark, shut you're fucking mouth.” Natasha hissed as she rushed to Clint’s side, who had come to a quick halt and went pale at Tony’s words.

 

Clint could feel his world crashed around him as what Tony had said echoed through his head. “Nat… please tell me that isn’t true. Phil can’t be gone, I would…” Clint let out a sob. “Nat, please.”

 

“I’m sorry Clint.” Natasha said as she took Clint’s full weight as he sagged against her.

 

“Was it me? Did I kill him?”

 

“No, and he wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for any of this.”

 

Clint sobbed louder and collapsed to the ground with Natasha’s arms still around him. He couldn’t breathe and could feel the room closing in on him. In the background he could hear the faint noises of other voices but couldn’t make out what was being said all he could hear was the voice in his head denying that Phil was gone, that he wouldn’t have left Clint and Tasha and their unborn child, not like this.

 

Natasha clutched Clint tightly to her and murmured in Russia, offering words of comfort that she knew was falling on deaf ears.

 

“I can help him.” Loki said softly.

 

“I think you’ve done enough already.” Natasha snapped back and pulled out her back up gun and leveled it to the Demi-God’s head without looking up from Clint.

 

“His body is going into shock and in his condition it won’t do him any good. He needs to sleep and rest his mind.” Loki inched forward slowly, flinching as the Hulk growled once again. “Please, let me help him.”

 

Thor frowned as he studied his brother. Never in his life had he heard Loki use the word ‘please’. “Loki's being sincere in his offer to help my lady.”

 

“I…” Natasha trailed off as she continued to stare helplessly down at Clint. Never before had she seen her friend so broken and it scared her but Clint needed someone to help him and right now he was at a place she just couldn’t reach him. With a deep sigh, Natasha lowered her arm and put the gun back into the holster. “You do anything funny, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

 

“You have my word, for what little that is worth.” Loki replied as he kneeled next to the pair, making sure that no one besides Thor could hear what he said next. “What I’m going to do won’t hurt him, my magic is already running through his veins to protect them. Clint won’t remember this but I made a promise to him that no harm would come to his children.”

 

Natasha’s head snapped up as she studied the Demi-God before her. “Does he know?”

 

“That he is with child, yes but he is aware of the fact that there is two of them.” Loki told Natasha before taking one of Clint’s hands into one of his and placing the other over the archer’s forehead. “Now be silent woman, I have work to do.”

 

Natasha’s frowned deepened but she held back from making another comment as already she could feel Clint’s body relaxing in her arms.

 

Several minutes later Loki finally pulled away and glanced up at Natasha. “I’ve placed him in a very deep sleep that will allow his body and mind to recover from the events of the last few days and he should sleep for several hours or at least long enough for you to get him to someone who specializes in medicine.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Loki gave a sharp nod before getting up and moving back to where Thor stood.

 

“Captain would you mind watching over him for me?” Natasha asked as she ran her hand over Clint’s head. “There is a few people I need to contact.”

 

“Of course.” Steve replied as he moved to take Natasha’s spot.

 

“I have a secure phone you can use, one that can’t be traced or hacked.” Tony informed Natasha as he gestured towards the bar. “It’s just back there.”

 

Nodding her thanks Natasha stood and moved over to the bar. Spying her favorite brand of Vodka she quickly poured herself a drink and shot it back before grabbing the phone and dialing. “Hey it’s Nat, we need to talk.”

 

* * *

 

“They did it, they actually did it.” Maria said breathlessly as she came to stand next to Fury.

 

“Told you they were the right team for the job.” Fury smirked.

 

“Oh please, you and I both know who actually handpicked those people and last time I checked your name wasn’t Philip J. Coulson.” Maria quickly retorted before adding softly. “He should be here to see this.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Director Fury, I have Dr. Simon on the video conference line for you. He says it’s urgent.” Jasper called out from his station.

 

Frowning, Fury turned and headed towards the private office just off the bridge. “Put it through to my private office and you and Agent Hill can join me for this conversation.”

 

“Of course sir.” Jasper nodded before turning to forward the call.

 

“Agent Daniels you’re in charge, make sure you don’t crash her into the water.” Maria ordered before falling into step with Jasper. “Did Dr. Simon indicated what he was calling about?”

 

“Just that he urgently needed to speak to Director Fury but…” Jasper lowered his voice and quickly glanced around before he continued. “I swear to you, I heard one of the nurses say ‘stay still Agent Coulson.’ Before Dr. Simon step out of the room.”

 

“Are you sure?” Maria asked, as she placed her hand on Japer’s shoulder as they paused outside the office door.

 

“I’m positive. He’s alive Maria, if there is anyone who could survive being stabbed like he was its Phil fucking Coulson.” Jasper replied firmly before walking into the office.

 

Maria wasn’t one to normally do this but in this case she sent up a quick prayer before following Jasper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait! Life was a bit crazy this last month but my family grew by one and my sister had her second child and now not only do I have an amazing Niece but the most adorable Nephew! So now I believe there is only two more chapters left but it all depends on what direction the next chapter takes, one I will admit I haven't written a single word for. But I will work hard to write it up and post it before the winter holidays as I was not really wanting to take my laptop with me on my travels but I will try my hardest to have the next chapter up before the end of the year. Also I will confess another reason this chapter took so long was because I didn't really like it and I still have mixed feelings about it but I just don't have it in me to do a total re-write! And on that note, thank you once again to all of you! I couldn't do this without your support!


	61. Chapter 61

The nightmare that flashed through Phil’s mind was one that he was very familiar with but still couldn’t wake himself up to stop it. Once it finally ended he had to fight to stop himself from flying out of the bed as the tightness in his chest reminded Phil that he wasn’t completely healed yet. Phil reached out across the mattress and frowned when he realized that he was alone. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was still too early for Clint to be up and the monitor showed that Tasha was still sound asleep. Phil’s frowned deepened as he finally placed the sound of whispered voices coming from the kitchen. Phil could easily place Clint’s voice but the other, defiantly male was very unfamiliar to him. Pulling himself out of bed, Phil quietly made his way to the kitchen.

 

“How many times do I have to keep telling you that you really shouldn’t be here?”

 

“You can repeat yourself all you want you know I’ll never listen. I just had to see you.”

 

“Well you’ve seen me, now get out of here before you wake my husband or daughter up.”

 

“I’m surprised you haven’t told him or those you work for yet that I’m still on Earth.”

 

“You know I can’t, the minute I do they’ll lock you up.”

 

“I’m well aware of what they would attempt to do but it surprises me it’s not something you want.”

 

“You tossed into a jail cell for all eternity? Sure that easily could be something I’d want.”

 

“But you don’t, why is it I wonder?”

 

“I’m wondering the same thing myself.” Phil added as he walked in the room, his gun leveled at the head of the Asgardian. Anger flared through him as he noticed Loki had one hand on Clint’s hip.

 

“Phil.” Clint quickly backed away from Loki. “I can explain this.”

 

“There’s nothing really for you to explain Clint, it’s quite obvious to me what’s going on here.” Phil replied calmly.

 

“I think that’s my cue to leave.” Loki smirked as he backed towards the opened balcony door.

 

Phil quickly fired off a few shots but it was too late, Loki had already disappeared. With a heavy heart Phil turned the gun onto Clint.

 

“Phil, what the fuck are you doing?” Clint shouted as he took a step back.

 

“I would have thought that was quite obvious.” Phil repeated as he took a small step forward. “What Natasha did on the Helicarrier didn’t really work did it? Your still under his control aren’t you?”

 

“What? Phil are you fucking kidding me right now?”

 

“Just answer the question Clint. You’ve know the location of Loki for what I’m assuming is several months now but you haven’t said a word about it to anyone, not even me. So sorry if that has me questioning your loyalty at the moment but honestly you haven’t been the same since your time spent with Loki.”

 

“I was mind fucked but a demi-god and you were nearly killed and you honestly expected me to be the same person I was before that?” Clint let out a small chuckle. “Jesus Phil, you honestly should take a look in the mirror.”

 

“You still haven’t answered my question Clint.” Phil replied calmly.

 

“You and I both know I’m not going to answer such a stupid question.” Clint angrily replied back as he leaned against the counter.

 

“Daddies?”

 

Phil quickly holstered the gun before he turned to face Tasha.

 

“No! Phil look out!”

 

Clint’s warning came too late and Phil felt cold as the familiar feel of the scepter tore through his chest once again.

 

“You really didn’t think I’d let you live did you?”

 

Phil flinched as he felt the cold breath of the Asgardian on the side of his face. Watching as Clint rushed to Tasha’s side and collected their daughter into his arms.

 

“You bastard, we had a deal.” Clint spat out angrily as he held Tasha close.

 

“Promises were meant to be broken.” Loki replied as he twisted and pulled the scepter out.

 

The only thing Phil could taste was blood but still managed to get a few words out before falling to his knees. “Love you both, now run.”

 

“Phil.” Clint took a shaky step forward but stopped as he glancing down at the precious bundle in his arms before looking back up at Phil. “We love you.”

 

“Daddy!” Tasha screamed as she started thrashing in Clint’s arms trying to get to her other father as Clint turned and fled out of the apartment.

 

Phil started thrashing as he felt hands trying to hold him down. “Get the fuck off of me.”

 

“For gods sakes Phil hold still. Somebody get Doctor Michaels in here, now! Okay Phil, take it easy buddy you’re okay.”

 

Phil’s mind was so muddled it took him a moment to recognize the voice of the person talking to him. “Jasper.” He finally gasped out.

 

“Yeah Phil, I’m here.” Jasper replied as he finally removed his hands from Phil’s shoulders.

 

“Clint? Tasha?”

 

“Tasha is safe and sound with Eric. He’s bringing her here and they should be arriving soon.” Jasper paused briefly before continuing. “Clint’s back with us. He and Natasha are currently out on the field with the other Avengers.”

 

“He’s okay?”

 

“Yes, he’s fine.” Jasper surprised himself at how easy the lie came out. “Now I need you to lay back down and take it easy. You were badly injured in the battle on the Helicarrier and the fact that your still breathing right now has the doctor’s scratching their heads.”

 

Phil relaxed at hearing that his family was alright but being reminded of what happened had his hands flying up to his chest to pull at the bandages cover it. Pulling off the gauze Phil studied the wound and was surprised to notice while it would leave quite the scar it didn’t look as bad as he thought it would. “I don’t understand, I thought the bastard had pierced my heart.”

 

“He would have if your heart was located where it should have been but as luck would have it all he did was nick it and Dr. Michaels was able to fix that up easy enough.”

 

“It wasn’t all that hard.” Dr. Michaels said as he stepped into the room. “The wound is somehow healing all on its own.”

 

“How is that possible?” Phil asked.

 

“Medically, it isn’t but since it was a mythical demi-god that stabbed you I’m just going to go ahead and say its magic and leave it at that for now.” Dr. Michaels replied as he frowned down at Phil. Putting on gloves he turned towards Jasper. “Helen just called, she, Eric and Tasha will be arriving in twenty to thirty minutes, depending on traffic.”

 

“I’ll meet them in the parking garage.” Jasper replied before leaning down and squeezing Phil’s hand. “I’m glad you’re awake Phil. I’ll try and get an update on the Avengers for you as soon as I can. It won’t be easy as we’ve now lost communications with the Helicarrier and we never had a direct line with the Avengers in the first place.”

 

“Thanks Jasper, I appreciate it.” Phil winced as he shifted slightly.

 

“Of course.” Jasper replied as his phone started to ring. A quick glance had him frowning at the unfamiliar number. “I better grab this, I’ll be back with Tasha in a bit.”

 

“Okay, let’s get you re-stitched and bandaged up again. I’ll also get you something for the pain.”

 

“Something mild if possible Doc, I don’t want to be too fuzzy.”

 

“Of course, just promise me you won’t try getting out of this bed or over doing it. Your body might be magically healing it’s self but its still draining you of all your energy.”

 

“No worries Doc, I know my limitations right now.”

 

“Well that would be a first.” Dr. Michaels muttered as he studied Phil. “Everything okay son? Besides the obvious of course.”

 

Phil’s mind flashed back to the horrible nightmare. It had seemed so real that he was still a little thrown off. “Just a really bad dream but it’s over now and once I see my husband and daughter I’ll be able to forget all about it.”

 

“Phil.” Dr. Michaels paused for a moment, unsure on how to continue. “How much of what happened to you did Jasper tell you?”

 

“That I was badly injured and if it hadn’t been for my heart being located elsewhere I most likely wouldn’t be breathing right now. But somehow I get the feeling he left out a few important details.”

 

“There is no easy way to say this so I’ll just come out and say it, you died Phil. They legally declared you dead and you remained that way for a certain amount of time. All we know now is that somehow your heart started beating again and we really can’t tell you how or why.”

 

Phil was so shocked by the news he couldn’t even move, his mind racing as he went back to those moments on board the Helicarrier. The memory of his final conversation with Nick came rushing forward and the pain of knowing he was going to die while the man he loved was still being controlled by the very person who killed him. “Earlier you said that my wound was magically healing itself.”

 

“It sounds far-fetched I know but what else could it be? I’ve been your doctor for as long as you’ve been a SHIELD agent and I know for a fact that healing properties like that isn’t something you have.”

 

“SHIELD has yet to run across anyone with those abilities so who could have used magic to save my life?”

 

“Best guess, I’d say the man who killed you.”

 

“You’re saying Loki killed me and then used his magic to bring me back and heal me?”

 

“If you have a better answer I’d love to hear it.” Dr. Michaels shrugged as he peeled off his gloves. “Now I’m going to give you a low dose of a mild sedative just to help ease the pain but if it gets to be too much I won’t hesitate to up the dose whether you like it or not.”

 

“Thanks Doc, I appreciate it.”

 

* * *

 

“So I know I’ve already asked this but what is the plan now?” Tony asked as he walked back into the room with Bruce right behind him. “And by that I mean what are we doing with the crazy alien god who tried and failed to take over our planet?”

 

“We really don’t have many options, do we?” Bruce spoke up. “Either we let SHIELD take him into custody or we leave him with Thor for him to take his brother back to their people.”

 

“A third option could be to let me go.”

 

“Killing you is another.” Steve replied flatly as he sent Thor a look that clearly told the Asgardian to control his brother.

 

“Be silent.” Thor warned as he placed his hand on one of Loki’s shoulders and squeezed before addressing the others. “As I said before, I believe that Loki should be kept in my custody and brought forward to our father for him to decide on his punishment but whatever decision is made by your people I will not fight it. Though in the matter of the Tesseract you will not win that fight, I will not allow it to remain on this planet.”

 

“Agreed.” Steve nodded before turning to face Dr. Selvig. “I assume there is something here that we can use to safely transport the Tesseract?”

 

“Yes, there is the original briefcase that SHIELD had specially made to contain the power of the Tesseract. It should be out there by the Tesseract.” Dr. Selvig replied, as he went to get up.

 

“Whoa, take it easy. You got quite the nasty bump on your head.” Bruce placed a hand on the other man to help steady him. “It’s most likely best if you stay sitting for now.”

 

“Bruce and I can handle containing the Tesseract.” Tony added.

 

“Better do it quickly, our transportation will be arriving shortly.” Natasha announced as she joined the group.

 

“Transportation to where?” Steve asked, not ready to start trusting SHIELD again.

 

“SHIELD’s New York base isn’t far from here and the doctor stationed there is the only one I trust to look over Clint.” Natasha responded as she knelt next to Steve to check on Clint.

 

“I’m not sure a SHIELD base is the best place to be taking the Tesseract or Loki.” Steve replied honestly. “That missile that nearly wiped out this city was fired from a SHIELD aircraft. I’m not really sure I want to align myself with people who think the only solution is one that involves the death of millions of innocent people.”

 

“Who order the strike anyway? I know for a fact it wasn’t Director Fury because he’s the one who warned me about it.”

 

Natasha frowned as she glanced over at Tony. “I’m sure you’ll just have Jarvis try and hack this information later so to save myself the time I’ll just say there is a group of people who run SHIELD and more often than not, Director Fury disagrees with their decisions. It’s why the Director and Phil came up with the idea for the Avengers in the first place.”

 

“So the Avengers wouldn’t be considered associated with SHIELD? Even with you and Clint on the team?” Steve asked.

 

Natasha let out a breath of frustration. “Clint and I will be lucky if we still have jobs after this but no, the Avengers are most defiantly not considered to be associated with SHIELD. Now I’m sure you all have several questions but right now I need to get Clint to a doctor and as a team I think we need to stick together.”

 

“I have to admit the lady has a point Captain.” Tony spoke up, smirking at the glare Natasha sent his way. “I know I’m not the world’s biggest team player and Fury already knows I’m not his number one fan and I trust the man as far as I can throw him. Well, without the suit at any rate. But I do… did trust Phil Coulson and if I had known he had this much of a hand in putting this team together I might have jumped on board much faster.”

 

“Think we can still be a team after such a rocky start?” Steve asked.

 

“Won’t know until we try.” Tony replied as the others nodded in agreement.

 

“Well let’s get started then.” Steve grinned.

 

“What, no team cheer?” Loki asked sarcastically.

 

“Silence your tongue.” Thor remarked as he cuffed Loki over the back of his head.

 

“You don’t suppose Tony has a muzzle around here we could use?” Steve quietly asked Natasha.

 

“If not I’m sure Tony could make something.” Natasha replied with a small smile.

 

“Hey guys, our ride is here.” Bruce announced as he walked back into the room and went over to help Dr. Selvig.

 

“That was good timing. Captain would you be able to carry Clint out for me?”

 

“Of course.” Steve replied as he gathered the other man into his arms, surprised at how light the other man actually was. “Thor please don’t let your brother out of your sight.”

 

“Of course.” Thor replied as he grabbed Loki’s arm and followed Bruce and Dr. Selvig out.

 

“Ready to go?”

 

“Just have to grab this.” Natasha replied as she picked up Loki’s scepter. “Don’t want this to fall into the wrong hands.”

 

“Good plan.” Steve nodded before following Natasha out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone following this story and sorry I didn't update sooner! Turns out I needed to be free of the internet to get any writing done!


	62. Chapter 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A thousand apologies for such the long wait for this update!! I suffered the worse case of writers block which just freaked me out as last time that happened it was six years before I wrote again! So this chapter I will say is such a filler chapter and I really hate that but the reunion between Clint and Phil is something that I really don't want to mess up and I wasn't quite ready to write that yet! But I will try my very best to not let several months go by before the next chapter (which was actually supposed to be the final chapter) but I will def have something before the month of May is over! But huge thanks to everyone who has followed this story and have really helped encourage me! Couldn't have gotten this far without all of your support! :-)

“You know I’m right about this Steve and right now I’m just asking you to think about it, you as well Bruce.”

 

“If Stark is trying to rope you into one of his crazy schemes don’t let him.”

 

“Crazy schemes? I’m hurt Agent, my schemes or better put ideas are always ones of genius.”

 

“Not according to my source and it’s a rather reliable one.” Phil winced as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, waving off Steve’s offer of assistance. “Well, I hear you managed to come together as a team and defeat Loki and save the city of Manhattan and most likely the world. Good work, I knew you could do it.” Phil said as he took in the three men standing at the end of the bed.

 

“Let me be the first to say welcome back Agent.” Tony smiled. “Glad to see the rumors of your death were greatly exaggerated.”

 

“Technically I was dead for a time but thank you, I’m extremely happy to still be here.”

 

“It shouldn’t have taken your death to make us a team. We should have been able to come together from the start and because we didn’t a lot innocent people lost their lives or were seriously injured because of us.”

 

“Because of Loki’s actions, not yours.” Phil reminded Steve. “Nobody expected a group of six strangers to instantly come together and work miracles. A trust and understanding between all of you had to be built first, along with common ground and cause.”

 

“Natasha told me about you when she came to collect me. She wasn’t kidding when she said that you were very wise and brave.” Bruce smiled. “It took major balls taking on Loki the way you did and it will most defiantly be an honor to fight alongside you in the future, if there is ever a cause to fight.”

 

“Thank you Bruce and right back at you. Speaking of Loki, I take it Thor is keeping a close eye on him in the dentation center?” Phil asked as he took noted of the missing members of the group.

 

“Yes, along with several SHIELD personnel.” Steve answered.

 

“The sooner he’s off this planet the better if you ask me.” Bruce muttered.

 

“I’m with Bruce on this one.” Tony nodded. “But where does SHIELD stand on this matter?”

 

“I want Loki, the Tesseract and that damn scepter of his off this planet and as far away from my family as possible and I’m pretty sure Fury would agree with me on that notion.”

 

“What about Fury’s superiors? The ones who tried to wipe Manhattan off the map with a nuke?” Steve asked.

 

Phil snorted. “I’d like to see the members of WSC try and stop Thor from leaving with his brother and the Tesseract.”

 

“Natasha mentioned that there could be some repercussions for going against Fury’s orders and that her job with SHIELD might be compromised once all was said and done, is that true?” Steve asked.

 

“You should know that the idea for the Avengers started several years ago and Natasha was one of the two SHIELD agents selected for the team. One of Fury and my main reason for this was to get these agents out from underneath WSC’s control.”

 

“I’m not totally unfamiliar with the WSC and I’m willing to bet they are going to try and pin a lot of the blame on the Avengers aren’t they?” Bruce questioned.

 

“Again, they can try.” Phil responded darkly before movement outside the room caught his eye. “Natasha.”

 

“Hey Phil, I ran into Eric and found something that belongs to you.” Natasha replied with a smile as she pushed the door open.

 

“Da-da.”

 

“Oh god, Tasha.” Phil didn’t even hesitate to push himself all the way up and if it hadn’t been for Steve’s hand on his shoulder he would have most likely gotten right out of the bed. Phil winced slight as Tasha jumped into his arms but just held on tightly. He hadn’t held his baby girl since her birthday and right now it felt like years had gone by since then. And the thought that could have been the last time briefly flashed through his mind before pushing it back down.

 

“Whoa, hold a minute… you have a kid?”

 

Trust Tony to ruin the moment. “Yes Tony, I have a daughter.” Phil sighed as glanced at the other man. “It can’t be that shocking of a notion can it?”

 

“Well yes, I mean no… it’s just I didn’t think anyone in your line of work had children that’s all.” Tony shrugged, looking apologetic before he glanced over at Natasha. “Wait you two aren’t… are you?”

 

“Where on earth would you draw that conclusion?” Natasha asked as she leveled a glare at the man.

 

Bruce couldn’t help chuckle as Tony moved to stand on his other side. “From her name if I were to guess but I’m going out on a limb here and guess that she was named after you most likely making you her godmother.”

 

“I like him, he speaks with his brain and not with whatever is on the top of his tongue.” Natasha said as she smiled at Bruce.

 

Phil smiled as he watched Natasha, it was good, seeing her be so open around people outside their close circle. Phil’s attention was brought back down by Tasha as she asked the very question that was at the front of his mind.

 

“Da, where’s Daddy?”

 

“Where is he Natasha?”

 

“Phil, I…”

 

“Natasha, where is my husband?” Phil felt his heart tighten as Natasha glanced over at the others, before looking back in his direction but not meeting his eyes. “I’ve been told that he’s fine by several people but yet he isn’t here. Where is he? Tell me he isn’t…” Phil swore his heart stopped, he couldn’t even dare to speak the words.

 

“No, god no, he’s alive Phil.” Natasha reassured as she quickly rushed forward and took one of Phil’s hands in hers. “It’s just that when he thought he had lost you he went into a very deep shock and it was one that I couldn’t pull him out of and I did what I thought was best for Clint.”

 

Phil didn’t like where this was going, and Natasha still refused to look him in the eyes, something she had never done before. “Natasha.”

 

“I thought you were dead and Clint was in no state to make decisions for either himself or his family.” Natasha paused and let out a deep breath. “I let Loki use his magic to give Clint’s body and mind a well need rest and now… now he won’t wake up.”

 

“You what?” Phil ripped his hand out of Natasha’s and instantly clenched them, fighting to keep his anger in check with his daughter right there but sadly failing miserably. “What on earth where you thinking, trusting the safety of the man I love to that lunatic? Or where you even thinking at all? God dammit Nat, Loki took Clint against his will and forced him to kill people and you thought it would just be a good idea to let Loki play with his mind again?”

 

“I thought that Tasha had just lost a parent and I wasn’t about to let her lose another one.” Natasha quickly replied back, fighting back the urge to just yell. “I did what I thought was best and even without knowing what I know now I would make that same choice again. I will always do what I think is best for Clint, he’s my brother and I love him.”

 

Phil narrowed his eyes as he studied Natasha. “What aren’t you telling me?”

 

Natasha shook her head softly as her eyes shifted to the other men in the room. “This isn’t the place to discuss it.”

 

Phil frowned but for once did argue. “Steve, can you go and grab a nurse and tell them I need a wheel chair. Take Tony and Bruce with you, and perhaps you can take Tasha as well. See if you can located either Agent Sitwell or Kovak, they’ll look after her.”

 

“Of course Sir.” Steve nodded.

 

“Honey, you’re going to go with Steve and help him and the others find your Uncles okay.”

 

“Kay.” Tasha gave her Da a hug before moving to Steve.

 

Picking the young girl up Steve moved towards the door. “Let’s go Tony.”

 

“I’m still trying to process all this new information. I mean, Agent and Katniss are married. To each other! And then there’s the kid… she looks just like them. I think I’m going into shock.”

 

Bruce rolled his eyes and shot a quick smile towards Natasha and Phil before grasping Tony’s arm and pulling him towards the door. “You’re being a bit dramatic but why don’t we just take this process of new information out in the hall shall we.”

 

Phil waited a few minutes after the door shut before he spoke. “Natasha, talk to me.”

 

“Loki told me something before he helped Clint and at first I was hesitate to believe him but then I figured of all the lies Loki could tell this wouldn’t be one of them and once we got Clint here the doctors confirmed what Loki had told me. Clint’s pregnant, doc figures he’s about ten to twelve weeks along.”

 

Phil was shocked, this wasn’t what he was expecting Natasha to tell him. “Does Clint know?”

 

“According to Loki he does but Clint’s not aware that he’s carrying two babies.”

 

“Two?” Phil replied, forgetting how to breath for a moment before pulling himself together. “I need to be with him.”

 

“I’ll go see if Steve has found a nurse yet.” Natasha replied as she quickly headed to the door.

 

“Natasha wait, I’m sorry. I know how much you love him and would never do anything to hurt him. Actually I’m pretty sure besides our daughter you’re the only one who hasn’t hurt him yet and I had no reason to speak to you the way I did.”

 

“Don’t be sorry Phil, you reacted like anyone in your position would have. Now don’t even think of trying to get out of that bed once I’m gone, you’ll hurt yourself and delay getting to Clint.”

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Phil replied, hating how well she knew him.

 

“Everything is going to be okay Phil, I just know it will.” Natasha reassured him before stepping out of the room.

 

“I know.” Phil sighed softly to himself as he leaned back in the bed to try and regain some of the energy and strength he had lost since waking up.


	63. Chapter 63

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a bit of a belated Birthday gift for narnia2375, your words of encouragement is really what helped this chapter along! 
> 
> Also once again my apologies for the long wait, it wasn't writers block but the lack of free time but thanks to some bad weather and multi-tasking I was able to get it done! I've also decided that I want to do one last chapter before I post the Epilogue and I hope to get started on it right away but I make no promises as to when it will be posted! They are calling for some really beautiful weather this weekend! 
> 
> So thanks once again to all of you who are following this story! Also it was a very quick grammar/spell check as I'm on my lunch break at the moment so hopefully I didn't miss anything!

“What the hell is he doing here?” Phil growled out as he was pushed into Clint’s room only to spot Loki standing slightly behind Thor in the corner.

 

“Hey, remember what the nurse said. You’re not supposed to be on your feet.” Steve reminded Phil as he gently pushed him back down.

 

“Son of Coul! I thought you to be dead. How is this possible?” Thor asked as he stepped forward in attempt to block Loki from Phil’s sight.

 

“That’s a really good question because I did die but we will discuss that at a later time.” Phil replied. “Now will someone please tell me why the fuck Loki isn’t down in the detention center?”

 

“Relax, I’m quite harmless I assure you.” Loki replied, as he moved past his brother with his bounded hands raised.

 

“I wasn’t asking you.” Phil quickly snapped before gesturing for Steve to push him to the bed. Once there he quickly took Clint’s hand into his frowning at how cold his husband felt.

 

“Actually I’m the one who asked him to be brought up here.” Dr. Michael's spoke up as moved further into the room. “Since it was magic that put Clint into this coma like state I thought perhaps Loki would be able to shed light on how we can wake him up.”

 

Sighing deeply, Phil looked up at Loki and studied the Asgardian for a moment before addressing him. “It’s your magic that did this to him, now can you do something to wake him up?”

 

Loki hesitated a moment before answering. “As I was about to tell your healer it’s not my magic that is preventing Barton from waking up. Yes, I used my magic to help ease his mind and to give him rest but I made sure there was no traces of magic left when I was done. To be frank the only thing preventing Barton from waking up is himself.”

 

Phil scowled at that answer but deep down he knew that Loki wasn’t lying. “If everyone doesn’t mind, I would like to be alone with my husband.”

 

“You know where to find us if you need anything.” Natasha said as she brushed her lips against Phil’s check then Clint’s. “Come back to us Clint.”

 

Steve gave Phil’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “And don’t worry we’ll make sure we keep Tony from coming in and bugging you.”

 

Phil couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Thanks Captain, maybe tell them to get Pepper Potts here as she’s the only one I know who can keep Tony in line.”

 

“I’ll tell Agent Sitwell that.” Steve smiled before turning and following the others out.

 

“I’m sorry Phil, I should have asked your permission before having Loki brought up here.” Dr. Michael's said as he came to stand on the other side of the bed.

 

“I know you were only looking out for Clint’s best interests, it was just a shock seeing him standing there. A situation that I could have and should have handled better.”

 

“You recently died and came back to life only to find out the man you love more than life itself is in a coma, either indirectly or directly placed by the same man who killed you. It’s okay for you to take your time to get your bearings. He’s strong Phil, there is no reason he won’t wake up and right now his body is only benefiting from this rest.” Dr. Michael's assured him as he double checked Clint’s vitals. “As are the babies he’s carrying, remember that.”

 

“I will, thank you.”

 

“Of course, now I’ll leave you two alone and if you need anything the nurse outside knows where to find me.”

 

Phil nodded in reply his focus was entirely fixed on Clint, and Clint alone. Letting out a small sigh, Phil sat silently for a moment with just the sounds of the machines before he found the words he needed to say. “After all we’ve been through you can’t do this to me now, you can’t leave me. I need you, our daughter needs you.” Phil squeezed Clint’s hand between his and leaned down to rest his forehead on the bed, fighting back the tears as they threatened to fall. “Come back to me Clint, I love you.”

 

* * *

The nightmare played on a continuous loop, and while the scenes were different the end results never changed. It didn’t matter by whose hand or how, in the end Phil was dead and there was nothing Clint could do to save him. Clint clutched his hands into his hair as his back hit the wall and he slowly lowered himself to the floor. The only thing he could hear was the sound of Phil’s voice and while usually his favorite sound right now it haunted him and Clint doubted that screaming at the top of his lungs wouldn’t drown out the sound. “Maybe I’m losing my mind.” Clint chuckled to himself before letting his hands come down to rest at his side. Closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh Clint decided to just let the sound of Phil’s voice wash over him.

 

_“Oh god, I’ll never forget how mad I was at you but it was at that moment I thought, no I knew I was truly in love with you… She would have loved you and the kids, would have spoiled them like crazy and knowing my mom like I did she would have adopted you in a heartbeat… Oh god I think having Tony Stark in my life is going to make my hair grey and disappear faster. He’s already planning on redesigning the Stark Tower and having everyone live under one roof. I’m pretty sure he’s already shanghaied Banner and Steve into this idea… Doc says it will be a few weeks before we can find out the sex of the twins but he did confirm that they will be identical, which will make life very interesting… Clint, I’m begging you, please just open your eyes. We made a promise to each other and I know you think I’m dead but I’m not, I’m right by your side like I will always be from now until forever.”_

“Now I know I’m losing my mind.” Clint muttered.

 

“You’re not losing your mind, but you are very much lost within it.”

 

The sound of the unfortunately familiar voice had Clint quickly shooting up to his feet, hands quickly moving to where his bow seemingly formed out of nowhere. “I should have known you were behind this, where the fuck am I?”

 

Loki smirked as he moved closer to the other man completely unconcerned over the arrow pointed in his direction. “I already told you, we’re in your mind and technically I didn’t really put you here but I am here to try and help you.”

 

“Oh please.” Clint scoffed. “Your name and help don’t even belong in the same sentence.”

 

Loki just gave a careless shrug. “Regardless, I do feel slightly responsible for your current predicament and I knew the only way I could assist you in anyway would be to enter your mind. But I wasn’t about to suggest that option to your husband, I’m sure he would have shot me on sight if I had.”

 

“Phil?” Clint’s hand wavered slightly. “You killed him.”

 

“I gravelly wounded then healed him.” Loki corrected.

 

“I don’t understand…” Clint finally lowered the bow and replaced the arrow into his quiver.

 

“He’s alive, isn’t that the only thing that matters?”

 

“Yes.” Clint replied softly. “So, lost in my mind huh? How do I wake up or whatever?”

 

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

 

“Seriously? That’s really helpful, thanks.” Clint replied sarcastically.

 

Loki huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay how about I put it this way, tell me what you want most?”

 

“What I want most is Phil.” Clint quickly replied.

 

“Then go to him.”

 

“It can’t be that easy.”

 

“Not everything in life has to be hard. All you have to do is follow the sound of his voice and let him guide you out of here.” Loki rolled his eyes as Clint shot him a skeptical look. “Would you just close your eyes and try. The sooner I get out of here the better.”

 

“Nobody asked you here.” Clint muttered to himself even as he slide his eyes closed and tried concentrating on the sound of Phil’s voice. After a few moments Clint opened his eyes only to realize he had moved across the room and now stood before a door that hadn’t been there before. He didn’t hesitate to reach out a grasp the handle but before turning the knob paused and glanced over his shoulder. “Thank you.”

 

“Anytime.”

 

“Now, please kindly get the fuck out of my head and this time stay out.”

 

“As you wish. I’m beginning to like you Barton.” Loki smirked before he disappeared.

 

“Well, can’t say the feeling is mutual.” Clint replied to the empty room before turning and pushing the door open.

* * *

Phil’s voice had started to crack and no matter how much water he drank his throat stayed dry. But he continued to talk and was determined to keep talking until Clint opened his eyes. “You know, you three never did say how you managed to break into Fury’s office and yes everyone, Fury included knows it was the wonder trio that broke in and painted his office hot pink.” Phil chuckled at the memory of Fury storming into his office demanding to know the location of Clint and fellow hooligans. “Though, I do have a sneaking suspicion that you did have some inside help. Maria doesn’t have the world’s best poker face and matter of…” Phil trailed off as he stared down at the hand grasped in his. “Clint?” Phil glanced at the monitor and felt his heart skip a beat as the readings began to change. “Clint, if you can hear me I need you to squeeze my hand, okay? Can you do that for me?” Phil didn’t even try to hold back the sob as his hand was lightly squeezed and when he looked up he was rewarded with a beautiful pair of blue eyes staring back at him.


	64. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! A new chapter within weeks of the last one instead of a good month! I have to give credit to those of you who follow this story and the words of encouragement you all gave last time! It really sparked something in this writer and actually this chapter (the one I thought was gonna be so hard to write) was actually finished some time last week but I wanted to get a good start on the next chapter before I posted this one and since I'm almost done that chapter and thanks to a review have a plot idea for the chapter after that, I'm posting today! So looks like I'm not quite as done with this story as I thought I was! Well, I hope this chapter is the reunion everyone was looking for I know it made me so happy to write these two together again! So huge thanks again to all you amazing people and I'll stopping going on now and let you get to what you really want to read!

Clint tightened his grip on the other man’s hand afraid that if let go even a little bit Phil would disappear and it would turn out that him mind was playing a cruel trick on him. “Phil?”

 

“Hey babe, welcome back.” Phil didn’t bother stopping the tears from welling in his eyes as he leaned in closer and squeezed Clint’s hand.

 

“Not dead.” Clint winced as his voice cracked.

 

Phil smiled sadly. “No, I’m not.”

 

“Nat said…” Clint trailed off, confused because he knew Nat was being truthful when she had confirmed Tony’s words.

 

“I won’t lie to you, Loki did kill me but somehow I came back and I don’t know why and I don’t care. All that matters is that I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, not any time soon.”

 

“You promise?”

 

“I promise.”

 

“Good now get over here and kiss me.” Clint ordered.

 

Phil wasted no time in just doing that and as his lips connected with his husband’s he let the tears roll down his face. Pulling back he brought his other hand up and caressed Clint’s face. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? I’m not the one who got stabbed by a crazy unstable demi-god with a rule the world complex.” Clint replied as he reached up to wipe away Phil’s tears.

 

“No, you’re just the one who got brained controlled and kidnapped by one.” Phil quickly replied.

 

Clint shrugged slightly as his eyes fell from Phil’s to their joined hands. “Honestly, I don’t remember much between the time Loki took me and Nat brought me back, it’s really a huge blur.” Clint’s eyes narrowed and he quickly looked back up at Phil. “Loki’s in this building isn’t he?”

 

Phil frowned as he studied Clint. “Yes, but… Clint if that bastard did something to you while he had you I need you to tell me.”

 

“Besides invade my mind and use me as his personal puppet he didn’t touch me Phil but regardless I still want to put an arrow through his eye socket. Even if he did sort of help me the second time.”

 

Even though Clint had muttered the last bit to himself, Phil still caught every word he said. “What do you mean by that?”

 

Clint shrugged slightly. “I’m not really sure what happened to me after I was told you were dead but my mind kept re-creating your death in so many different scenarios and I was helpless to stop it, to save you and every time I came to I could hear your voice and I swear I thought I was losing my mind. Then all of a sudden Loki appears out of nowhere offering to help me. He told me that he stabbed you and then healed you and basically to wake up I had to follow your voice so I did and well here we are.”

 

“Here we are.” Phil echoed as a frowned crossed his face. “One thing I don’t understand is why Loki lied earlier, he told me that he couldn’t help you wake up but yet he did anyway. Of course, I supposed if Loki had told me the only way he could help was to invade your mind I would have shot him.”

 

Clint couldn’t help but chuckle at that statement. “That exactly what he said but regardless one good deed doesn’t make up for all the wrong he did but I don’t want to talk about Loki anymore.”

 

“Agreed.” Phil smiled as he leaned down and kissed Clint until they were both breathless.

 

“God I’ve missed you.” Clint smiled, wishing he was curled up in Phil’s arms right now.

 

“Not as much as I missed you.” Phil smiled back. “So you said you could hear my voice, was I talking about anything in particular?”

 

Clint eyes flashed with joy as pieces of what Phil had said filter through his mind, his hand drifting to his middle. “Am I really carrying twins?”

 

“Yes, and they both have very strong heart beats.” Phil answered as he placed his hand over Clint’s. “I have a strong feeling they are going to take after their sister.”

 

Clint’s smile grew at the mention of their daughter. “Tasha, I want to see her. Is she here?”

 

“Yes, she’s currently out in the waiting room with everyone. She refused to go back home unless we were both going and I strongly agreed with her.”

 

“You still have to be cleared by the doctor before you can leave medical.” Clint pointed out.

 

“I’ve already been cleared by medical and no I didn’t threaten anyone. The wound is healing at a rather rapid rate.” Phil replied as he pulled away from Clint to show him the scar on his chest. “It didn’t look like this a few hours ago. Hell, a few hours ago I couldn’t even walk on my own.”

 

Clint’s hands shook as he reached out and let his fingers trace the edge of the wound. “Jesus Phil.”

 

“It looks bad but it didn’t hurt much, honestly I think the shock numbed most of the pain.” Phil said, as he pulled his shirt down once Clint’s hand fell away. “Now it just twinges if I moved the wrong way.”

 

Clint studied Phil for a moment as he re-took the other man’s hand. “You look like you could use a good night’s sleep.”

 

“Unless they drugged me up to my eyeballs I wasn’t going to sleep without you in my arms.”

 

“Well you better go and grab Dr. Michaels as I plan on tucking our daughter into her bed tonight and then spend the night sleeping in our bed wrapped in your arms.”

 

“I like that sound of that plan.” Phil smiled as he leaned over to push the call button not wanting to leave Clint’s side.

 

* * *

 

“Thank you nurse, I appreciate you grabbing these for me.” Clint smiled as he took the clothes the nurse handed him.

 

“It was no trouble Agent Barton.” The nurse smiled back before following Dr. Michaels out of the room.

 

Clint had been out of the bed the moment the doctor had cleared him and no amount of protesting on Phil’s part would have kept him there a moment longer. “I need to hold our baby girl Phil and I refuse to do that from a hospital bed. Besides you heard the Doc, I’m perfectly fine.”

 

“At least let me help you.” Phil said as he stepped up to Clint’s side to help him change. “How does your back feel?”

 

“It’s a bit sore but nothing I can’t handle.” Clint replied as Phil pulled the shirt over his head.

 

“Uh, huh.” Phil frowned as Clint tried and failed to hide his wince of pain.

 

Clint settled back on the bed and grabbed his cargo pants. “Not the first time I’ve landed on that bloody quiver of mine and most likely not the last.”

 

Phil doesn’t say anymore, just grabs the cargo pants and helps Clint into them before helping him with his combat boots. “There you go, you’re all set.”

 

“Almost, just one last thing.” Clint replied as he helped Phil up before throwing his arms around the other man. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too.” Phil replied before Clint pulled him in for a kiss.

 

“Now let’s go get our daughter and head home. Anything else can wait until tomorrow.” Clint nuzzled Phil’s neck before pulling away, letting his one hand linger over Phil’s heart.

 

Knowing what was going through his husband’s head, Phil took Clint’s hand in his and kissed it before leading Clint out of the room.


	65. Chapter 65

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone following this story and sorry for the delay in an update! I ended up going out of town unexpectedly and forgot to post the new chapter before I left and somehow just realized that fact today! So hope everyone enjoys this chapter and I will hopefully get writing on the next chapter very soon!

When they finally made it to the waiting room, Clint came to an abrupt halt as he took in how many people were there. “I feel like we are late for a party.”

Phil chuckled as he nudged Clint forward. “I know this might come as a shock to you Clint, but all these people here care about you and wanted to see you before we left.”

“I haven’t even official met some of these people.” Clint replied as he glanced over at the corner where, minus Natasha and himself stood the other Avengers.

“You fought alongside them, you six are a team now.” Phil reminded him as he placed his hand on Clint’s back as everyone in the room took notice of their arrival causing the other man to tense up.

“Da, Da!”

Hearing Tasha’s voice was all it took for Clint to relax and become unguarded. Bending down, Clint scooped his daughter up into his arms and held her tight, leaning back into Phil as he felt the other man’s arm go around his waist. “Hey my baby girl.”

“Missed you.” Tasha smiled as she snuggled into one daddy and reached her hand out to her other daddy.

“Missed you too sweetie.” Clint replied, closing his eyes as tears welled up in them. “I hope you were a good girl for Uncle Eric while your daddy and I were away.”

“Yep, we had fun.” 

“That’s our girl, you ready to go home now?” Phil had to quickly blink back his tears as he held his family in his arms, Tasha’s little hand resting in his as she smiled up at him and nodded. “I guess our car is still back at the apartment?”

“It is, but we can drive you guys home we still have Tasha’s spare car seat in the SUV.” Jasper answered as he and Eric walked over.

“That would be great.” Phil smiled. “Eric thank you so much for looking after Tasha for us. It made it easier to know that she was some place safe with someone who loves her while all this craziness was going on.”

“Of course and so you know she was a little angel as always.” Eric said as he gave Clint’s shoulder a squeeze. 

Clint smiled as he reached up to squeeze his friend’s hand, understanding the unspoken message. “I’ll be okay and thank you, both of you.” Clint said as he glanced over at Jasper. “For looking after the two people I love most in this world.”

“Any time.” Jasper smiled as Eric stepped back to his side.

“Well, I hate to break up this tender moment.” Tony clapped his hands together and moved towards the center of the room.

“You’ll have to forgive him, he gets uncomfortable around so much emotional display.” Pepper smiled as she came to Tony’s side.

“Not entirely untrue but that’s not why I’m interrupting.”

“Will you be getting to the point sometime soon Stark?” Phil asked as he tried to fight back a sigh. 

“Hey, we still have to talk about this business of you keeping secrets of a husband and daughter from us.” Tony frowned as he wrapped his arm around Pepper. “I thought we were friends Phil and okay so maybe you don’t really know Steve, Bruce or Thor that well and Clint we actually never really official met but that’s not the point.”

“There’s a point?” Natasha asked drily. “I’m pretty sure the only one in this room who didn’t know was you.”

“Oh please, I’ve known Phil much longer then these guys and that’s simply not possible.” Tony replied as he waved his arm in the direction of the other Avengers, who were doing their best to avoid the other man’s eyes. “Right guys?”

“Honestly I don’t think we should be wasting our time discussing personal relationships.” Bruce quickly spoke up. “But what we are going to be doing with…” Bruce paused before glancing over at Thor.

“I believe the word you used earlier to describe my brother works.” Thor assured him.

“Was it delusional crazed demi-god with a rule the world complex?” Clint asked as he shifted a now sleeping Tasha in his arms. “Because that totally suits him, no offense Thor.”

“None taken, like I told the others he’s adopted.” Thor replied. 

"For the love of god please tell me that the cube, Loki and that damn scepter of his are secure?" Fury barked as he came storming into the room with Maria right behind him.

"Who invited you here?" Stark rudely asked.

"Nobody did, I'm in charge of everyone and everything in this entire goddamn building." Fury replied and then quickly dismissed Stark as his eyes landed on Coulson. "Jesus, I knew you were back with us but I wasn't excepting to see you up on your feet already." 

"This day has been full of surprises." Phil replied drily. "The council?"

"Contained for now but I'm not sure how much longer I will have control of the situation." Fury respond his eyes drifting over to Clint and back to Coulson quickly.

"Fuck." Phil sighed as rubbed the side of his face, knowing what Fury was silently telling him. "Neither the cube or Loki can remain on this planet Nick." 

"I know." Fury answered. "But like I said, I do have control of the situation for now but my best guess is that I bought us forty-eight hours.”

“That doesn’t really give us much time.” Phil replied with a heavy sigh. “What’s the game plan?”

“I suggest that The Avengers and all SHIELD personnel currently in this room meet back here at oh seven hundred and will discuss the next step then."

Phil took a quick glance around the room, gathering confirmed nods from the others. Giving Clint's hand a squeeze when the other man reached for him, Phil finally turned back to face Fury. "Agreed. Now if that's everything I need to get my family home."

* *

Phil smiled as he stood in Tasha’s doorway and watched as Clint tucked their daughter into bed. “She asleep already?”

“Out like a light.” Clint smiled as he threaded his fingers through Tasha’s hair. “She wanted you to read her a story but was asleep before I could even finish put her pajamas on.”

Wrapping his arms around Clint, Phil smiled down at their daughter. “I’ll just have to read two stories tomorrow night.”

“She’ll love that.” Clint sighed as he leaned back into Phil’s arms. “Its good being home again.”

“Makes you never want to leave again.”

“It’s moments like these that I wish we were normal people with nine to five jobs but then I quickly realize that normal has never been and never will be us. Not to mention how extremely dull a normal job would be.”

Phil hummed in agreement before dropping a kiss on Clint’s cheek before moving to do the same to Tasha. “Come on babe, let’s get to bed. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a really long day.”

“Go ahead, I’ll be right behind you.” Clint smiled as he gave Phil’s hand a squeeze and placed a kiss on the other man’s lips.

“Don’t be too long, I’m not falling asleep until you’re in my arms.” Phil told him before kissing Clint back and leaving the room.

The smile on Clint’s face fell the moment Phil was out of the room. Letting out a deep sigh, Clint leaned down and placed a kiss on Tasha’s forehead before moving to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Clint’s eyes briefly landed on the liquor cabinet before shaking his head. Phil would know there was something wrong the moment he smelt the liquor on his breath and he wasn’t ready to tell Phil that the memories of the last few days were slowly starting to flood his mind and the guilt was threatening to overtake him. Clint swore under his breath as the glass in his hand shattered in his grip.

“Clint? Everything okay?” Phil called out.

“Everything is fine, just miss judged the distance to the counter.” Clint quickly called back before quickly cleaning up the broken glass and double checking to make sure he hadn’t cut himself before heading towards the bedroom.

“You sure you’re okay?” Phil asked as Clint laid down next to him. 

“Yeah, it’s just been a really long few days.” Clint sighed as he moved so he was in Phil’s arms. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Phil asked as he held Clint close.

“Eventually, but for now I just want to sleep. It feels like forever since I’ve had a decent night of sleep and it’s been even longer since I’ve fallen asleep in your arms.”

“Too long.” Phil agreed before softly whispering. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” Clint whispered back as his eyes drifted closed.


	66. Chapter 66

_“So you know what I want and I assume you also know all the materials you will need to get it to work?” Loki asked as he briefly studied the Tesseract before closing the case._

_“Yes, though some things may be easier to acquire then others but its still all very doable.” Erik Selvig replied as he leaned against the truck. “But before I can gather what I need we should secure a workspace. Someplace where I can build undisturbed by SHEILD and that is something I imagine won’t be easy to find.”_

_“Or you could just take over a secured SHIELD base and work right under their noses.” Clint spoke up as he approached the pair. “There’s one not far from here that I can easily gain access to with very little resistance or questions being asked.”_

_“Excellent, I knew you’d be the right man for this job. Let’s get going, I have a world to take over and time is of the essences.” Loki clapped his hands together before climbing back into the vehicle._

_*SHIELD BASE DELTA TWO*_

_“Agent Barton, this is a surprise.”_

_“Agent Casey.”_

_“It’s well, I can’t really say its good to see you but what brings you down to Delta Two? I thought Fury had you babysitting some doctors working on space junk over at the fancy new base?”_

_“New orders.” Clint shrugged as he climbed out of the Humvee._

_“How are Phil and Tasha?” Casey asked as he stepped out of the guard booth._

_“Fine, they’re both fine. I need you to give me access to the base Agent Casey.”_

_“I’m sorry Barton but we haven’t received any orders from Director Fury about you coming to this base but if you give me a moment I will get a hold of the command base and get them to clear up this misunderstanding.”_

_“Is that really necessary?” Clint asked as he lowered his hand to his side holster._

_“Sorry Barton, but orders are orders. Don’t forget the reason I’m stuck guarding the doors of this place is because I did a favor for you.” Agent Casey stated as he turned to head back to the booth. “And as much as I like you I’m afraid I have to do things by the book this time.”_

_“I’m afraid I can’t let you call this in.” Clint growled out as he quickly pulled out his weapon, trigger finger at the ready._

_Hearing the release of the safety had Agent Casey slowly turning around. “What the fuck are you doing Barton?”_

_“Now Agent Barton, none of that.” Loki ordered as he jumped out from the back of the vehicle. “We’re trying to not alert SHIELD of our whereabouts, remember? It wouldn’t hurt to have someone standing guard and reporting that everything is normal.”_

_“Of course sir, my apologies.” Clint muttered as he holstered his weapon._

_“Seriously Barton what the fuck is going on and who the fuck is this guy?” Agent Casey demanded as his hand flew to his weapon._

_“I’m the one you now work for.” Loki smirked as he placed the scepter the man’s chest. “Now, let us in and please make sure no one else gains access to this base and remember if anyone asks, you never saw us.”_

_“Yes Sir.”_

_“You planning on doing that to everyone in this entire base?” Clint asked as he got back into the Humvee as the gates were opened._

_“Of course not, I trust you to select the best agents to assist us and then lead them in getting rid of the rest.” Loki replied as he jumped into the back. “Now let’s get moving.”_

_“With pleasure Sir.” Clint replied before punching down on the gas pedal._

_Half an hour later Clint stood in front of Loki wiping the blood off the blade in his hands off._

_“Good work Barton, except…” Loki glanced around taking in the causalities. “All you left me with was scientists and I do require more than just one person for man power.”_

_“Every time you use that thing on someone it drains you, so I thought it would be better if we use the resources this base has to offer without you having to use that thing, unless you really had to.” Clint shrugged. “This base is mainly used as a holding cell for SHEILD prisoners, who better to go against SHIELD then a group of men who despises the organization.”_

_“I do love how that mind of yours works.” Loki smirked before turning to face Dr. Selvig. “I trust you know what you need to get started and what you can’t find in this base just let Barton know and he can retrieve it for you.”_

_“Of course.” Dr. Selvig nodded._

_“Let’s go Barton, we have some recruits we need to bring into the fold.”_

Clint sat up with a gasp and quickly glanced over to make sure he hadn’t woken up Phil. Once he was sure the other man was still sleeping he silently slipped out of the bed and walked over to the closest. Slipping into his SHIELD uniform he then headed over to the lock box to retrieve his service pistol before leaving the room. Clint stopped briefly to check on Tasha and tucked her back under her blankets before making his way out of the apartment.

 

Upon arriving at the SHIELD headquarters, Clint quickly bypassed the security system and once he was sure the cameras for the holding cells was on a continuous loop he made his way down there. Once down there Clint paused at the edge of the only occupied holding cell. The need for answers and the anger from the last several days had driven him here and now he found himself almost afraid to take the final steps.

 

“Well, well isn’t this a surprise. I didn’t think that husband of yours would ever let you out of his sight, not any time soon at any rate. So, what brings you down to my humble domain Barton?”

Annoyance pushed away the fear at the sound of the other man’s voice and had Clint taking the final steps to the holding cell, stopping once he was at arm’s length from it. “Was having trouble sleeping, thought it would help to see you locked up like you belong.”

 

Loki smirked as he sat up on the slab of metal that served as a cot. “Well, here I am, all locked up tight with nowhere to go. But we both know that no prison on this realm can hold me for long.”

 

“That’s why you won’t be staying here. There is no doubt in my mind by the end of the day, we will be letting Thor take you and the Tesseract back to Asgard. I’m sure they are more equipped to punish you properly.”

 

Loki scoffed as he got up and walked over to where Clint stood. “So what was troubling your mind that you couldn’t sleep?”

 

Clint frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s not really any of your concern.”

 

“I beg to differ, seeing as whatever it was brought you here.” Loki replied as he leaned against the cell and studied the other man. “If I were to guess I’d say what happened while you were under my control is starting to flood your mind and you can’t stop it.”

 

Clint’s frown deepened and he tried to not react to Loki’s words but knew he had failed as the smirk grew on the other man’s face.

 

“You know, if you ask really nicely I might be able to erase those memories from your mind.”

 

“Now why would you do something like that? Just out of the goodness of your heart?” Clint asked sarcastically. “Please stop trying to be nice, I’m not going to fall for any act you pull.”

 

Loki tossed his hands up in mock surrender before making his way to the back of the cell. “I assure you it’s not an act but I won’t waste my breath trying to assure you of that fact.”

 

Clint uncrossed his arms and took a few steps closer and silently studied the other man. “You taking me was more than just needing some to help build your army and getting the answers you needed…” Clint trailed off as a realization hit him and the memories of all their interactions came to the front of his mind. “You want me.” Clint said, completely shocked.

 

Loki’s posture went stiff as his eyes flashed angrily, the smirk completely off his face.

 

Clint spun on his heels as he moved away from the cell, needing to put more of a distance between himself and Loki. “It wasn’t the fact that I was with Phil that held you back but because of the children I’m carrying. So tell me, if it wasn’t for them would you have taken what you wanted whether or not I wanted you to?”

 

“Absolutely not! I would have never take you against your will.” Loki rolled his eyes at the pointed look Clint gave him. “Not in that regard at least, I’m not a complete bastard.”

 

“Agree to disagree.” Clint muttered.

 

“Indeed.” Loki whispered as he made his way back to the front of the cell. “So, now what? Did coming here help ease your mind so you can get back to a trouble free sleep?”

“I think it will be awhile before I’ll be able to get a trouble free sleep.” Clint admitted

 

“My earlier offer was sincere and still stands.”

 

“And what, let you mess with my mind again? No thank you.”

 

“I get that you don’t trust me…”

 

“That’s an understatement.” Clint scoffed.

 

“But there are others on Asgard that could help you, Thor’s father being one of them.” Loki continued as he hadn’t been interrupted.

 

“You planning on making the same offer to Dr. Selvig?” Clint asked as he stepped up to the cell once.

 

“Certainly not.” Loki scoffed as he slipped his arms through the cell his fingertips brushing the edge of Clint’s jacket.

 

Clint just shook his head as he rocked back on his heels. “Why am I even still here?”

 

“Isn’t that the million dollar question?” Loki replied softly as stretched his arm out further.

 

“Clint?”

 

Clint jerked back and turned. “Phil, what are you doing here? Where is Tasha?”

 

“Don’t worry, Helen is with her.” Phil replied as he walked over. “I woke up and you weren’t in the apartment and when I realized your SHIELD uniform and pass card were gone I figured I’d find you here.”

 

“I thought maybe coming here would answer the questions have and to satisfy myself that this is really over.” Clint shook his head as he moved to Phil’s side. “I don’t think I was really successful with either.”

 

Phil pulled Clint into his arms and kissed him softly, his eyes never leaving Loki’s and he didn’t miss the look that flashed on the other man’s face. “Come on, everyone is upstairs waiting for us.”

 

“It’s morning already?” Clint asked as he pulled back slightly, shocked that he had lost track of time.

 

“Yes and I’m sure in your brief time spent with the man you know how impatient Tony can be.” Phil replied as he took Clint’s hand into his and started towards the exit.

 

Clint chuckled and squeezed Phil’s hand. “Let’s just say I can understand how he gets under your skin so easily.”

 

“So I guess I’ll be seeing you two later then?” Loki called out.

 

“I wouldn’t count on it.” Phil replied coldly.

“Ignore him Phil, this is all just a game for him. Now let's go we need to get this guy off our world.” Clint muttered as he spared a quick glance over his shoulder before opening the door to the holding room and walking out with Phil at his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again sorry for the delay in updating! Work was crazy busy for me this summer and I decided to take a month off from writing as I needed to re-charge the batteries. Thank you to everyone who has been following this story and for your words of encouragement! At this point the next chapter will either be the epilogue or it will be a new chapter. Either way there will be another update in a few weeks.


	67. Chapter 67

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this update took longer than I planned! I was not expecting life to get so crazy or for the months to go by as they quickly as they did! So in all honesty this was really supposed to be the last chapter before the epilogue but one reviewer really had me wanting to write more and I think I can get one more chapter out of my brain! The only downside is that I can't start working on it until mid-December but hopefully it's worth the wait as this chapter really isn't! But huge thanks once again to all of those supporting this story!

“Well it’s about time you two showed up.” Tony exclaimed as Clint and Phil walked in. “Agent Sitwell was just telling us that you were the first to arrive this morning and we’ve been waiting forever for the two of you to join us so we can get this show on the road.”

 

“You just walked in not ten seconds ago yourself.” Natasha pointed out as Clint and Phil took the empty seats next to her.

 

“Details.” Tony replied with a wave of his hand. “Point is I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

 

“Neither do I.” Fury remarked as he entered the room with Maria right behind him. “So let’s get started shall we? Agent Sitwell if you would.”

 

“Certainly Sir.” Jasper said as he stood. “So upon examination of all the men Loki used to help carry out the attack on the Helicarrier, we discovered that all of them had been prisoners at our Delta Base2. A location not far from the facility the Tesseract was being held. We sent Agents to investigate and discovered that most everyone located at that base was dead.”

 

“How many of your people are we talking about?” Steve asked.

 

“About fifteen agents and some of the scientists that we had located there. At least five of our personnel are still missing.” Jasper answered. “Orders have been sent out to locate them but it isn’t looking too promising.”

 

“So Loki killed all these people as well?” Thor asked, as the grief of his brother’s actions wearied him further.

 

“No.” Clint whispered out as he clenched his fists. “No, I’m the one responsible, the blood of all those people are on my hands. I’m just as much to blame for all this as he is.”

 

“Don’t you dare talk like that Clint.” Phil snapped out.

 

“None of this is your fault, you were under Loki’s control.” Natasha quickly added.

 

“Tell that to all the people who died at my hands.” Clint muttered bitterly.

 

“Natasha’s right Clint, this is all Loki’s doing not yours. Mind control is something we’ve never come across before and you had no way of fighting it.” Phil moved to cover Clint’s hands with his own.

 

“Dr. Selvig was basically able to install a shut off switch one which I know there is no way Loki wanted so obviously the only one who had issues fighting was me.”

 

“Do you remember everything that happened to you these last few days?” Natasha asked quietly as she took in the strained look on Clint’s face.

 

“Most of it came back to me last night while I was sleeping. There are still some pieces missing but there’s enough for me to paint a complete picture.” Clint answered.

 

“Then what you need to do is focus on all the lives you saved yesterday.” Tony spoke up. “You can’t let the guilt eat you up, trust me on that one.”

 

“Thanks Tony.” Clint sent the other man a grateful smile before letting out a deep breath. “Right now the only thing I want to be focusing on is our plan for getting Loki and the damn Tesseract as far away from here as humanly possible.”

 

The ringing of a phone interrupted the sudden silence. “Sorry.” Maria quietly apologized before stepping out of the room to take the call.

 

“Is there an easy way to do that?” Steve asked as he turned to face Thor. “I’m not even clear on how you arrived here.”

 

“My plan was to use the Tesseract to get it, myself and Loki back to Asgard.” Thor replied.

 

“Whatever your plan is you better set it in motion and fast.” Maria stated as she walked back into the room. “Agent Hall just called me to inform me that the several members of WSC are on their way here.”

 

“Damnit.” Fury muttered. “I thought we’d have more time.”

 

“All of you need to be gone before they arrive here.” Phil said as he stood. “We will take care of the WSC and you guys need to assist Thor in getting home with the Tesseract and Loki.”

 

“We can head back to Stark Tower.” Tony stood and turned to face Thor. “I’m assuming you’ll need something to harness the power of the Tesseract to open a portal home.”

 

“You’d be correct.” Thor nodded.

 

“Well I’m pretty sure Brucie and I can handle that rather easily.” Tony said as he clapped Bruce on the shoulder. “We can grab the Tesseract and Dr. Selvig and meet you all down in the garage.”

 

“Lead the way, oh and Tony, never call me that again.” Bruce said as he stood up and followed Tony out of the room.

 

“Well I guess that leaves the two of us to go fetch your brother.” Steve said as he walked up to Thor.

 

“Agents Sitwell and Kovak will go with you.” Fury said as he nodded to the two Agents in question. “Hill, can you go down and when our guests arrive try and stall them as best as you can.”

 

“Of course.” Maria replied as she followed the four men out of the room.

 

Fury turned and studied Natasha and Clint. “I’m going to do everything in my power to protect you two. There is no way anyone is getting tossed under the bus or have this entire incident blamed on them, understood?” Receiving a confirmation nod from both Agents he turned to Phil. “Meet me up in my office when you’re done here.”

 

“Certainty sir.”

 

“I guess I’ll go grab our gear and meet you down in the garage.” Natasha said as she gave Clint’s hand a quick squeeze before moving to Phil. “We will see you later tonight I assume.”

 

“You will.” Phil replied as he pulled her in for a quick hug. “Watch him for me and make sure Loki doesn’t get a chance to get into his head again.”

 

“You don’t even have to ask.” Natasha replied before leaving.

 

“Clint.”

 

“Phil, please not now. I know we have a lot we need to discuss but I think we can both agree this is neither the time nor the place.”

 

Phil pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh. “Your right, but promise me you will talk to me and soon.”

 

Smiling, Clint moved into Phil’s arms. “I promise but for now we both got to get moving. The sooner this is all taken care of the sooner we can get back to our lives and starting planning for the future.”

 

Phil smiled as his hands came to rest over Clint’s stomach. “I like the sound of that plan.”

 

“I love you Phil.”

 

“Not as much as I love you.” Phil replied before pulling Clint in for a kiss. “I’ll see you really soon.”

 

“Don’t have too much fun without me.” Clint smiled before giving Phil another quick kiss and turning to join the others.

 

* * *

 

“What is that?” Loki asked with distain as he glanced at the item in Tony’s hand.

 

“Just a little something to keep you quiet during the trip.” Tony answered as he passed the item in question to Thor.

 

“You can’t be serious.” Loki gave Thor a hard look.

 

“I think it’s an excellent idea.” Clint muttered as he briefly glanced over his shoulder at the group.

 

“I’m sorry brother but I have to insist.” Thor said sadly as he stepped forward.

 

“Wait.” Loki held his hands up. “There is something I need to say first.”

 

“I’m pretty sure nobody is interested in anything you have to say.” Tony said flatly.

 

“What I need to say isn’t for you at any rate.” Loki sneered at the other man before turning to where Clint stood. “There was something I should have said to you when we spoke earlier and I know you won’t believe me but you deserve to hear this from me, I owe you that much.” Loki paused.

 

Knowing the demi-god wouldn’t say what he needed to say until he was facing him, Clint let out a heavy sigh and turned to face Loki. “And what is that?”

 

“That I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you.”

 

“Your right.” Clint replied coldly. “I don’t believe you.” Spinning around he gestured to Natasha. “Let’s get out of here.”

 

“I’ve already let Jarvis know that we will be coming to Stark tower so when you get there just park in the garage.” Tony told them.

 

“No, I need to be there when to see this bastard leave this planet with my own two eyes. It won’t feel real otherwise.”

 

Tony nodded at Clint before moving towards the car. “I’ll punch in the coordinates and we will meet you there.”

 

“Thanks Tony and make it fast, I’m not sure how much longer we have.” Natasha added as she followed them.

 

“They wouldn’t actually detain you would they?” Tony asked as he punched in the coordinates to the GPS.

 

Clint snorted as he rocked back on his heels. “They’d toss me in the brig and toss away the key without blinking an eye.”

 

“Phil and Fury won’t let that happen and if any of them try to touch you I’ll kill them.” Natasha nodded her thanks to Tony before turning to Clint. “Do you want me to drive?”

 

“No I’m fine.”

 

Once in the car, Natasha reached over and gave Clint’s hand a quick squeeze. “I know you too well to know you’re anything but fine.”

 

“Natasha.” Clint sighed as he glanced over at her.

 

“Don’t worry I also know you well enough that you’re not ready to talk about it just yet but when you are don’t forget that your friends are here for you.”

 

“Thank you.” Clint squeezed her hand back before starting the car.

 

“So has Tony cornered you about his latest idea?” Natasha asked as they raced out of the garage.

 

Clint couldn’t stop the chuckle that slipped past his lips. “You mean his plan to have everyone living together under one roof? I’ve heard rumours about it. Are you thinking about taking him up on his offer?”

 

Natasha shrugged as she glanced out the window. “I’ve never had my own space outside of the SHIELD barracks for many years. A change of scenery could be nice and it would be a big plus if you, Phil and the kids were living there as well.”

 

“Oh god, I don’t know how Phil would feel about living under the same roof as Tony Stark. The man tends to drive him up the wall.”

 

“Well at least promise me you two will think about it.”

 

“I promise.” Clint replied.


	68. Chapter 68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter pretty much wrote itself and went off in a direction even I wasn't expecting so I hope everyone enjoys it as it was a really fun chapter to write! Perhaps not enough of Clint and Phil even for my liking but the next chapter should (hopefully) feature them more. So once again thanks to everyone following this story and for your continued support!

Phil frowned as he walked into the quiet apartment. “Clint?” 

“In Tasha’s room.”

Phil walked down the hallway and stopped at the doorway, smiling at the sight of his daughter fast asleep.

“I was informed that someone was too old for naps followed by she wasn’t closing her eyes until her daddy got home which than lead to me picking our daughter up off the floor after she passed out while watching cartoons.” Clint smiled as he finished tucking Tasha into bed.

Phil chuckled at that. “What did you say to her when she told you she was too old for naps?”

“I couldn’t say anything I was too surprised and she just sounded so grown up.”

“Well as much as I would love to nap as well we need to talk. Coffee?” Phil asked as he headed towards the kitchen.

“Yes please.” Clint replied as he closed Tasha’s bedroom door and followed Phil into the kitchen. “So how bad is it? I’m going to assume that I’ve been fired and no longer have a job with SHIELD.”

“As luck would have it you, myself and Natasha actually handed in our notices to Fury over a week ago and became contracted civilians for Stark Industries.” Phil replied.

“We what now?” Clint came to an abrupt stop.

“Yes, turns out that SHIELD headquarters misplaced the paperwork somehow.” Phil shook his head in disapproval. “I’m sure some level entry clerk is now out of a job.” 

“Very sloppy of them to lose important papers like that. Hopefully they’ll show up.”

“Oh thankfully Fury had several copies in his office and of course I had copies of my own.” Phil shrugged as he turned the coffee maker on. “You know how much of a stickler I am for paperwork.”

“A quality I’ve always admired and loved about you.” Clint smiled as he came up behind Phil and rested his head on the other man’s back. “So what does this mean?”

“Well it means no one is getting tossed into the brig but it also means that our days as SHIELD agents is over for the three of us.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“That you had to give up your SHIELD career for me and god even Natasha had to sacrifice her career as well.

“I would sacrifice anything for you Clint and I know Natasha feels the same way.” Phil said as he turned around and held Clint in his arms. “Besides you and Natasha are now officially members of the Avengers, something I know Natasha will enjoy more than she ever did being a SHIELD agent.”

“This is true, but what about you?”

“I also have a new job, one I know will be challenging and could most likely make me want to drink and perhaps cause my hair to thin faster it will be totally worth it. It’s not everyday someone gets to become the handler for the world’s greatest group of superheroes. Plus I get to continue working alongside the man I love, what more could I ask for?”

“Not to mention working alongside your idol and childhood hero. Tell me Phil, does Steve look peaceful while he’s sleeping?”

Phil’s face quickly flushed red. “Who told?”

“Steve might have mentioned something to me before he took off on his tour of America.” Clint chuckled. “You’re just too adorable for words Phil.”

“Please just tell me that no one else was in the vicinity of that conversation.”

“Err…” Clint winced. “Okay I won’t.”

“Oh god that explains all the smirking Stark was throwing my way when I was talking to him and Pepper earlier.” 

“What did they want to talk to you about?”

“Stark wanted to discuss his ideas for the Avengers. He has this grand idea about everyone on the team being under one roof and god help me I can’t help but agree with him on that.” Phil responded a pained look crossed his face at having to admit to agreeing with Tony. 

“He must have been beside himself at hearing the words ‘your right’ coming from your mouth and directed at him.” Clint smirked, knowing Phil well enough that he would have accidently let those words slip out.

“He looked like Christmas had come early and Pepper warned me I’d live to regret those words. I told her I regretted them before they were even out of my mouth.”

Sliding out of Phil’s arms to grab mugs, Clint tried and failed to fight off his laughter. “Oh Phil are you sure this is something you want?”

Phil waited until Clint was back by his side before answering, his arms once more wrapping around the other man with his hands resting over the two new lives they had created together. “I thought about this not only career wise but also in regards to our family and there were many factors to consider but ultimately yes this is something I want and I think it will be beneficial for us in the long run.”

“Speaking of family did you mention ours would be growing by two?” 

“Yes, Pepper is thrilled and Stark was already talking about nursery designs before I left. He actually had some pretty good ideas actually.”

“Have you ever asked Pepper if she plans on making an honest man out of Tony?”

“I did once and let’s just say that is a topic I won’t be asking about a second time.”

“Fair enough.” Clint chuckled as he leaned back into Phil. “This has been such a weird week and even though our lives are about to be upended once again this is another moment where I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”

“Me too.” Phil replied. “Now why don’t you go sit in the living room and I’ll bring out the coffee.”

“Coffee can wait.” Clint muttered as he spun around and brought Phil’s lips down to his in a searing kiss. “Right now the only thing I want is you.”

* *

Clint stood in the center of the room with a frown on his face. One hand rested on his stomach while the other rubbed his aching back. 

“Oh god, I don’t like that look on his face.” Steve whispered to Phil from their spot in the corner of the room.

“You and me both.” Phil muttered as he glanced over to Jasper and Eric. “On the plus side this is the last room we have left to organize.”

“Your living room furniture is way too fucking heavy. How the hell did you guys get it in and out of that tiny apartment of yours anyways?” Jasper asked as he glanced at the sectional couch that they had already moved several times already that day.

“I hired people and it came in pieces when we first got it but it was just easier to leave it together when we moved here.” Phil pointed out. 

“Bet your regretting that decision now.” Eric muttered as he rubbed his back.

“You know, on second thought…” Clint trailed off as glanced from the couch’s current location to where it had been located previously. “This did look better over by the window, didn’t it babe?”

Phil let out a small groan before pasting a smile on his face and nodding. “Yes dear, as you said it made more sense traffic wise.”

“At least until the kids are older.” Clint nodded in agreement before sending the guys a sheepish smile. “I’m so sorry guys but can we put it back and then that is it we are done.”

“Promise?”

“Yes Eric I promise.” Clint huffed out a laugh. “I should go check on how Nat and Tony are making out in Tasha’s room.”

“Maybe you should go lay down for a bit Clint and I can go check on things for you.” Phil suggested lightly, knowing that at twenty-eight weeks along with the twins Clint had to be exhausted by this point.

“That’s actually a really good suggestion and one I’m actually going to take you up on.” Clint winced as he sifted on his feet and rubbed his stomach. “Might have overdone it a bit today. These two are kicking up a storm.”

“You defiantly should get your feet up then and maybe a nice cup of tea as well.” Phil said as he moved to Clint’s side to help him to their bedroom.

“I’ll get working on that tea.” Eric said as he slipped out of the room.

“Huh.” Jasper glanced at the couch before looking over at Steve. “Did you see what just happened there?”

“That was smoothly done I must say.” Steve sighed as he studied the couch as well. “Do you think either of them will be coming back?”

“Nope.” Jasper scratched the back of his head. “Think we can move this on our own?”

“I guess we are about to find out.” Steve replied as he moved towards the heavier section. “You up for a beer after this?”

God yes, several in fact. Okay, that right there is a good motivator.” Jasper laughed as went to the other side. “Count of three?”

“Sounds good.” Steve agreed.

* *

“I really think you should just let me have Dummy come up here to give us a hand.”

“We’ve already got one Dummy I don’t think a second one is necessary.”

“Ouch, that was mean.” Tony said, rubbing his chest in mock pain.

“But truthfully.” Natasha teased as she chucked a pillow at Tony’s head. 

Tony surprised her by catching the pillow before it could make contact with his head. “Hey now, we have important work that we should be doing there is no time for pillow fights.”

“In that case get back to work, that bed isn’t going to put itself together.”

“And what pray tell are you going to do while I’m putting this all together?” Tony asked as he lowered himself down to the floor to work on the drawers that went under the bed.

“Someone has to keep an eye on you to make sure the bed is put together properly.” 

“Huh.” Tony smiled to himself as he finished another drawer.

“What?” Natasha frowned as she moved towards the boxes packed with Tasha’s clothes.

“Well we’ve in a way worked together for a few years now and I didn’t know this side of you existed it’s kind of nice to see.” Tony looked up to catch a puzzle look cross Natasha’s face. “You know, the fun, carefree and happy side. Your slowly letting us all in and from what I’ve read in your file you haven’t had much cause in the past to let people in, from them to get to know the real you.”

“You’ve read my file.” Natasha replied flatly. “Who gave you the right?”

“Did I say that? What I meant to say was that I imagine that’s what your file could possibly say but I don’t actually know because hey, how would I have gain access to the file about your life before SHIELD?” Tony chanced a quick glance at Natasha to see how much longer he had to live and frowned when he realized that instead of looking murderous, she look amused. “Are you kidding me right now? Here I thought I was a dead man and you’re laughing at me.”

“I’m sorry but you’re just too easy and besides it’s well known what I did as Black Widow before I became a SHIELD agent. You don’t have to be a genius to find out that information and while I’m not proud of some of the things I did I’m not ashamed of them either.” Natasha shrugged as she turned to continue sorting. “Besides this path lead me to be here with all of you but more importantly it brought Clint into my life.”

“Okay now that’s a story I would love to know, how did you two crazy kids meet because that is one thing I couldn’t find in SHIELD’s database. The only thing mentioned was that Hawkeye brought in Black Widow and that was it.”

“I’ll tell you the story but keep working on getting that bed together. Last thing we want is for Clint to come in and find out that after several hours of work we’ve got nothing done. An unpleased pregnant Clint isn’t someone you want to meet.”

“Fair enough so where did you meet Legolas?”

“We first met in Varna.”

“Located in Bulgaria by the Black Sea. I’ve been it’s a beautiful city and it’s a very popular tourist attraction.”

“Oh yes, visited frequently by world leaders and diplomatic alike. It’s also a very easy place for one to track down and take out a target and that’s just what I was doing when I ran into Clint. Actually the man who hired me didn’t trust that I could get the job done so he came along to… supervise I guess you could say. Ironically the man who he hired me to take out had hired Clint to take him out.”

“Okay I have to ask, why did these two men want to take each other out?”

“They were long-time rivals in the gun running business and both got fed up with the other encroaching on their territory but that’s the only detail I got as back then I didn’t really care much for the details besides who my target was.” Natasha smiled bitterly at this before shaking her head and storing the memories back where they belonged. “Clint likes to brag about this but he spotted and made me before I even realized he was there of course this is the one and only time this happened. Last I checked it was twelve to one in my favour. Anyways, I had just returned to my hotel room after doing the final check before the hit only to discover that there was someone already there.”  
“So you’re the famous Black Widow. I have to admit you’re younger than I thought you’d be, especially considering how many years you’ve been active. They started you young didn’t they?”

Natasha didn’t hesitate to draw out her weapon and frowned as the man made no move to draw his. “Who the hell are you?”

“No one of importance really.” The man shrugged as moved forward. “There really is no need for weapons, I’m just here to talk and that’s it.”

Spotting the bow in one of the man’s hands had Natasha lowering her weapon slightly. “Hawkeye, I’ve heard of you, what little there is to hear.”

“Getting the job done is easier when people know next to nothing about you.”

“Agreed.” Natasha holstered her weapon, knowing she faced no threat from the man before her. “So you want to talk, what is it that we could possibly have to talk about?”

“Ivan Tsvetkov.”

“What about him?”

“I believe he hired you to take out Nikolai Velitchkov.”

“Perhaps.” Natasha replied coolly as her eyes narrowed. “What is it to you?”

“It just so happens that Nik hired me to take out Ivan and I figured that perhaps we could work together to get not only both our jobs done but insure we get paid and maybe make a little extra while we are at it.”

Natasha silently studied Hawkeye as she weighed the pros and cons in her head. “What is your plan?”

“Well, I figured that we could each pay a visit to our intended target tell them that we’ve been hired to take them out by their most hated rival but for the right price could be persuaded to betray the man who has hired us but money has to be paid up front. I don’t know about you but I’ve only gotten paid half of what was promised for this job and I don’t intend to walk away with so little.”

“It probably wouldn’t hurt to also tell the men who original hired us that we want payment in full before the job is carried out.” Natasha added as a rare smile crossed her face.

“No it wouldn’t. So what do you say Black Widow, do we have a deal?”

“Deal.” Natasha replied as she moved to shake Hawkeye’s hand.

“You could say the rest is history. Of course we pulled the odd jobs together over the years and then Clint joined SHIELD and it was a year before I saw him again. I’ve never trusted someone as much as I trust Clint and I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life.”

“Give me a hand in putting this sucker in place?” Tony asked as he gestured towards the completed bed frame. “So did you two ever, you know?”

Natasha rolled her eyes as she moved to help Tony. “No Tony we did not.”

“Why?”

“Well for starters I’m clearly not Clint’s type and I firmly believe in not mixing business with pleasure. Things get messy when you get involved with people that you work alongside.”

“Seems to be working out for Clint and Phil.”

“Don’t let them fool you, their journey isn’t one that didn’t have a few bumps but then again what relationship doesn’t?”

“True.” Tony replied as he thought about his relationship with Pepper.

“Clint is a really good listener and Phil always has great advice.” Natasha said casually. “If you’re ever needing someone to talk to.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.” 

“Of course.” Natasha stepped back as Tony put the box spring and mattress in place. 

“Hey you two, looking good in here.” Steve said as he walked into the room.

“That bed giving you troubles Stark? I thought you started work on that hours ago.” Jasper teased as he followed Steve into the room.

“Bite me Sitwell.” 

“That would require effort I just don’t have right now.” 

“How was organizing the living room?” Natasha asked.

“Well we only moved the sectional about half a dozen times.” Steve replied as he caught the quick smirk that crossed Natasha’s face. “You knew that he would have us move it a lot didn’t you?”

“I know Clint very well.” Natasha replied.

“I thought you volunteered to help Stark out a little too fast.” Jasper replied with a shake of his head. 

“Hey everyone, look who I found.” Eric entered the room with Tasha in his arms. “Wow Tash, your room is coming along nicely. Looks like the bed might have been giving your Uncle troubles though. What’s up Stark, little kids beds too much of a challenge for you?”

“Jesus you two are perfect for each other.” Tony muttered as he glanced from Jasper to Eric.

“You can also thank Clint for that.” Natasha laughed as she moved forward to take Tasha.  
“We were actually thinking of grabbing a beer, anyone else interested in joining us?” Steve asked.

“You know I’m in.” Eric quickly replied.

“Well…” Tony started before glancing over to Natasha.

“Go ahead Tony, all that’s left is to make the bed and finish organizing all the clothes this girl owns and Tasha and I can manage all of that just fine on our own.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, besides putting these clothes away will be a long task as Tasha has acquired both her dad’s pickiness when it comes to things being in their proper place. But do me a favor, if Clint’s asleep take Phil with you. It wouldn’t hurt for him to get out of here and get his mind off of things for a while.”

“I won’t even give him the option.” Jasper replied as he moved off towards the master bedroom.

“Let’s get going boys, there’s a good pub within walking distance from here. I made sure of it before I built this tower.” Tony stated as he started gesturing everyone out of the room. “Thanks again Natasha.”

“Any time.” Natasha replied before spinning around and setting Tasha down. “Well, it’s just us girls now. Let’s start with your dresses shall we.”


	69. Chapter 69

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well everyone it pains me to say this but the journey that is this story has come to an end! Words can’t express how grateful I am for all of your support and words of encouragement with this story. Honestly when I first started writing this story two and half years ago I had no idea what it would become and that being said please note that the “epilogue” was actually written two years ago because as I’ve said this story was originally only supposed to be thirty chapters in length so the writing style of this chapter might be noticeable different but I hope you are all satisfied with how I ended this story. I’ll miss writing these characters as I love them so much and I do have some other story ideas burning a hole in my mind so maybe one day I’ll re-visit them. So once again thank you and take care!

“Thank you for getting Phil out of here for a little while. It’s been such a crazy couple of months he deserves a little break.” Clint murmured as he felt the movement of someone joining him on the bed and the familiar smell of perfume could only mean one person.

“Of course, I hope he didn’t put up to much of a fight with Jasper.” Natasha remarked as she stretched out.

“I didn’t actually give him much of a choice in the matter.” 

“And?” Natasha asked, knowing that there was no way Phil would leave Clint’s side that easily.

“And I promised to not get out of this bed for any unnecessary reason.” Clint replied as he shifted a bit to try and get more comfortable. “Of course with how tired I feel right now that is a promise I can easily keep. I can’t remember the last time I got more than a few hours of sleep.”

“These two are more active than Tasha I take it.”

“Sure seems like it. Of course while one is sleeping the other is moving around so unlike with Tasha I don’t get a break which is saying something as it seemed like there were some days when she never stopped moving.”

“I remember those days, you were pretty cranky without all your needed beauty sleep.” Natasha chuckled lightly as Clint glared at her. “I have to say you’re doing much better this time around.”

“Being forced into early bed rest within the first few months of this pregnancy sure helped, but don’t let anyone know I said that.”

“Of course, your secret is safe with me.” Natasha replied as she patted Clint’s arm. “Do you remember the day we first met?”

“Like I could ever forget that day.” Clint smiled at the memory. “What has you thinking back to those days?”

“Tony was asking me how we met and I didn’t see a reason why not to tell him.” Natasha shrugged slightly before continuing. “It just got me thinking of where my life would have lead if I hadn’t met you. I mean, who would have thought we’d end up where we are now.” 

“Well let me tell you, I never thought I’d live long enough to see thirty, let alone be married with a kid and two more on the way.” Clint paused before continuing. “Meeting you changed my life for the better, I hope you know that.”

“I know, it was the same for me.” Natasha replied. “So have you and Phil settled on names yet?”

“Well you know Phil and I agreed that if it was okay with Steve we could name one of the boys after him.”

“There is no way Steve would say no to that.”

“No he didn’t. He was very flattered and honored and was quickly rubbing it into Tony’s face.” Clint smiled at the memory. “Tony brings out another side of Steve that I don’t think he even knew he had.”  
“Tony brings out a new side in everyone I think.” Natasha replied with a laugh.

“Isn’t that just the truth.” Clint replied as he chuckled lightly.

“And what about my other godson?”

“This was an easy decision as we both agreed we wanted to name all our children after someone who mattered to us so the other boy will be named Jacob after Phil’s grandfather. Colonel Coulson took Phil in when his mom passed away when he was thirteen.”

“Steve and Jacob.” Natasha tested the names before turning her head to study Clint. “So who should I be calling first, Dr. Michaels or Phil?”

“Have I ever told you how annoying that is?” Clint huffed out before answering. “Call the Doc first as he’s the furthest away and after you talk to Phil maybe give Helen a call and see if she’s free to watch Tasha. The guys left hours ago and who knows how much they’ve had to drink.”

* * *

“I’m just saying that Anthony is a very strong name and you and Clint should really consider using it.”

“Anthony Barton-Coulson doesn’t have a very nice ring to it. Plus there would be the fact the kid’s initials would be ABC.” Jasper commented as he narrowly dodged the arm Tony had swept out to make his point.

“I agree with Jasper, besides Steve Barton-Coulson is a very strong sounding name.” Steve agreed with a smirk as Tony shot him a glare.

“Well promise me you two will think about it for the next round of kids.” Tony said as he turned to face Phil.

“Next round?” Phil nearly choked on his drink.

“You and Clint both seem like the type to want a ton of children, so yes next round. Speaking of rounds.” Tony said as he flagged down their waitress. “We should have a round of shots in celebration.”

“What are we celebrating?” Eric asked.

“Whatever we want, it’s honestly just an excuse to have more shots.” Tony responded as the shots were handed out.

“How about the arrival of my boys.” Phil said as he pocketed his cell phone and quickly downed a shot before stealing another. “Tony, how fast can Happy get us back to the Tower?”

“Pretty damn fast.” Tony grinned as he downed his shot. “Come on boys, time to go and greet the newest members of the team. Now Phil it’s not too late to change your mind on the names.”

“Sorry Tony but were aren’t naming one of the boys Anthony but how would you feel being known as Uncle Tony?” 

“I’d be honoured.” 

* * * *

Many years later…

Clint let out a deep breath before knocking on the bedroom door before him. His baby girl was on the other side getting ready for her first date and he still wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Come in.”

“Hey sweetie, how goes it?” Clint asked as he walked into the room.

“Besides the fact that I have nothing to wear and can’t braid my hair to save my life, I’m fantastic.” Tasha replied, as she tossed her brush down on the desk in frustration.

“Well I’m afraid I can’t help you in the wardrobe department but I can help you with your hair.” Clint smiled as he came up behind his daughter and held out a hand.

“Thanks Daddy.” Tasha smiled as she passed the brush to him. 

Clint brushed out the few tangles before starting to french braid his daughter’s long blonde hair. “You know your Godmother may be out of the country but I happen to know that she isn’t doing anything pressing at the moment, why don’t you send her a text and ask her what you should wear.” Clint paused to pull his phone from his back pocket. “Better make sure you use mine though, just in case.”

“Good idea.” Tasha smiled as she took the phone and quickly typed up and sent the message. Settling her hands in her lap, Tasha took the time to study her Dad in the mirror. 

“What’s on your mind baby girl?” 

“I was just wondering how you felt before you went on your first date with Dad.”

“Honestly?” Clint glanced into the mirror and met his daughter’s eyes. “I was absolutely terrified. Which at the time seemed silly as your Dad and I had been working with each other for well over a year and had been seeing each other in a… non-traditional sense for over five months but all the same this date was the start to an actually relationship and what made me so terrified was that I would somehow do or say something to screw it up before it even started. But all of that changed when I opened the door and saw him standing there and I just… well I just knew, there would never be anyone else for me but him.”

“So me being scared out of my mind that this could all end badly is normal then?” Tasha asked as she glanced down at the phone as an incoming message appeared.

“Tasha, its perfect normal. You and Danny have known each other since you were four and you grew up practically in each other’s back pockets. Besides your Dad and I, there is nobody else who knows or understands you better than him. But Godson or not I will hurt him if he hurts you and that would be after your Dad was through with him.” 

“Thank you.” Tasha smiled as she jumped up and pulled her dad in for a hug. “I love you.”

“I love you too sweet pea.” Clint smiled as he held is daughter close. Hearing the doorbell followed by the screaming of the youngest two in the family had Clint pulling away. “Looks like Danny is early. So you get dressed and just take your time. I’ll go down and make sure your Dad doesn’t threaten him too badly. Also sweetie, make sure you have your taser in your purse because you know your Dad will ask you about it and he won’t let you leave this house if you don’t have it.”

“Oh brother.” Tasha rolled her eyes but knew that would be the scenario if didn’t have the taser and that would be too embarrassing for words.

“You know he only does this because he loves you.” Clint told her before leaving the room and rushing towards the living room to hopefully reach Phil before he got to the more creative threats and scared Tasha’s date away.

* *

“Clint, where did we stash that unregistered gun we accidently brought home after that bank heist last month?”

“In the lock box under your desk in the study.” Clint replied as he finished putting the last of Jack and Laura’s toys away. Not registering what Phil had asked him until he was walking towards the laundry room. Dropping what he had in his arms, Clint quickly rushed towards the study and walked in just as Phil was loading the weapon in question. “Philip Coulson, what the hell are you doing?”

“I managed to trace Tasha’s and Danny’s location through the GPS on her cell phone.” Phil replied as finished loading the gun and double checking the safety. “Now I’m going to go hunt down the little bastard and put a bullet in his kneecap, maybe in both.”

“What on earth did Danny do?”

“He touched our little girl, that’s what.” Phil growled as he pulled a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and shoved it into Clint’s hands. “I found this on Tasha’s bedroom floor.”

“Phil, I’m sure that Danny is being nothing but a gentleman on this date and Tasha wouldn’t let him touch her if she didn’t want him to you know that. Besides Tasha will be turning sixteen soon…”

“Exactly, she’s only fifteen! All the more reason to shoot the bastard.” 

Phil was fast but Clint was faster. Slamming the study door shut, Clint leaned against it as he studied his husband, wondering what had come over the man. “Okay, you’re not leaving this apartment until you explain to me exactly what is going on.”

“Look at what you’re holding in your hands, it’s clear as day what’s going on.” Phil replied as he spun to begin pacing the room.

Preparing himself for the worst, Clint quickly unfolded the piece of paper and in one quick glance realized what was going on. “Oh Phil.”

“I know, that bastard got our baby girl pregnant.” Phil said as he rushed to Clint’s side, ready to console his husband.

“Phil honey, this isn’t Tasha’s.” Clint let out a deep breath before continuing. “It’s mine.” 

“Yours…” Phil trailed off. “What do you mean… are you sure?”

“I’ve suspected for a few days now that I might be pregnant but didn’t want to say anything in case I was wrong and part of me was afraid.” Clint paused for a moment as he moved away from the door. “I finally went to Bruce this morning and asked if he could run the tests for me and as you can see by the results he confirmed what I already knew. I was actually going to surprise you with the news over dinner tonight.”

“Oh wow.” Phil was stunned as he leaned back against the desk, finally laying the gun down. “We’re having another baby. That’s… wow… six kids we are going to be the parents of six kids.”

“I know this is a bit of a shock. I figured we were done after Steve and Jacob and then we had Laura and Jack and now…” Clint trailed off as he moved to Phil’s side. “A part of me can’t help but think of the baby we lost, the one who never had a chance and what if the world just wasn’t ready for him or her just yet but it is now? I mean, I know that sounds silly but I can’t help but think that.” 

“No, it sounds exactly right.” Phil smiled as he pulled Clint into his arms but pulling back as he heard the sound of laughter coming from the other man. “What is it?”

“I’m just remembering the crazed look on your face as you were loading that gun.” Clint replied as he continued to chuckle. 

Phil winced slightly. “How about we don’t tell anybody about this little incident, especially Jasper and Eric. I don’t think they’d take it well knowing I was threatening to shoot their only son.”

“It will be our little secret.” Clint replied as he leaned in for another kiss.

“And our daughter most defiantly can’t hear about this if she ever did Tasha would accuse me of being over protective again.” Phil muttered as he tightened his hold on Clint.

“Well babe, I hate to break it to you but you are over protective but that’s just one of the many things I love about you. Though maybe on the next date Tasha has with Danny she could leave the taser at home. Both of them are quiet capable of taking care of themselves without getting a weapon involved and I know Tasha would like to live some of her teenage life as a normal girl.”

“Nothing about our lives have ever been normal.” 

“I know but for her sake I would like her to experience it, even if it’s just for a little while.” 

“So following them on their next date is out of the question?”

“Phil!”

“I’m kidding, besides we don’t even know if there will be a second date.” Phil muttered as he began trailing kisses on the other man. 

“Yes we do, those two have a deep love for each even though they are too young to realize it yet. Danny looks at our baby the same way you’ve looked at me all these years.” Clint sighed. “But they have years of discovery before them so for now don’t worry about it. Right now just think of the fact that for the next couple of hours for the first time in what seems like forever we have this place to ourselves.”

“Your right.” Phil smiled as he quickly lifted Clint into his arms and moved over to the desk and set him down. “We should spend the time re-doing our favorite moments together. This isn’t my office at SHIELD but it has the desk and this time it won’t be followed by an awkward lecture from Fury.”

Clint smirked and then moved closer to the edge of the desk. “I do love how you think Phil Coulson.”

“That’s not the only thing you love about me.”

“No, it’s not.” Clint smiled softly as wrapped his arms around Phil. “We’ve sure had our share of up and downs and I’m glad it was you I had by my side for every moment of it.”

“There is nowhere else I’d rather be then by your side.” Phil said softly. “I love you Clint.”

“I love you too Phil.” Clint replied before pulling Phil in for a kiss.


End file.
